The Purest Black: Hunted
by Bella and Dora
Summary: Sequel to The Purest Black. This story follows Rabastan and Nymphadora's life on the run from the Ministry after the Battle of Hogwarts.
1. Breaking the News

**Woop! Here we go with the sequel to Purest Black! Happy New Year and all that jazz! *fireworks***

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 **Dora**

* * *

Nymphadora Lestrange raised her head, holding her baby sister closer as she raised her wand, taking in her surroundings. The sitting room of the Tonks house appeared to be as it had last time, perfectly clean, though seeming to be missing the warmth of past company.

"Dora?" Rabastan frowned, looking around. "Whose house is this?"

"Shhh," Dora whispered, walking forward toward the stairs. She could hear someone stirring in the master bedroom, and knew it would only be a few moments before he knew.

In a matter of seconds, she heard hurried footsteps down the upstairs hall, then saw someone descending the stairs wearing a nightgown. Nymphadora almost cried all over again when she saw the brown-haired witch, though she gasped when the woman hurried up to her and threw her arms around her, jumping back almost immediately. "Oh," she said. "I didn't know you brought—who is this?"

Nymphadora shifted the little girl in her arms and said, "It's Delphi, my sister. Rab has Rigel..."

She felt the witch's attitude change immediately as they both turned to Rabastan, who hissed, "Andromeda!"

"Rabastan," Andromeda said coldly, though her look softened as she saw Dora's son in the man's arms.

"This—" Rabastan said harshly to his wife " _this filthy blood-traitor_ was your plan?! I will not allow my family to associate—!"

"This filthy bloodtraitor raised your lovely wife," Andromeda shrugged. "Protected her from those who would have abused her. Taught her what it meant to be a decent, proper wife."

"I won't let my son be influenced by you!" Rabastan yelled, backing away from them. "Nymphadora, you should know better! I'm ashamed of you!"

"Then be ashamed," Dora breathed. "I need her; I need someone who can help me with the children. Rab, where are you going?"

Rabastan was shocked when the door rejected him, glowing red as the ward would not let him through. Andromeda crossed her arms over her chest, her wand visible as she glared at him. "You will not be able to leave the house while holding that child," she told him.

The man nearly choked on his anger, dropping the bag and drawing his wand, and though Dora stepped forward, Andromeda pushed her out of the way. "Dare to challenge me in my own home, Lestrange?" she hissed. "I don't recommend fighting with a child in your arms. It's a good way to lose everything."

"Please, Rab," Dora pleaded. "Give it a chance. It won't be that bad, I promise."

"Shut it, Nymphadora," Rab hissed at her, and her eyes filled with tears as she clutched her sister close, staring between the witch she loved as a mother, and the man she had married.

"So you came from the battle?" Andromeda questioned. "I knew there was one going on, though I wasn't sure..." she seemed to realise something, then said, "Bella...oh, Dora!"

The girl couldn't help but sob, burying her face in her sister's hair as she shook. Andromeda slipped her arm around the younger witch and drew her into her side, hugging her gently. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Here, let me take Delphi."

Nymphadora allowed the witch to take the girl from her arms as she clung to her once-mother, crying her heart out. "I promised Mother I would take care of her—I don't know if I can!" she cried into Andromeda's nightdress. "But I've got to! I promised!"

"Dora, it's going to work out," Andromeda said softly, her right arm slipping around the younger witch. "She'll be fine; you'll be okay."

"Not when I'm through with her," Rabastan threatened, and Dora looked up to see her husband's face lit with anger.

"Rabastan," Dora sniffed, shocked at the man's words. "I'm sorry—"

"I will not hear your excuses." He stalked across the room and gave their son to her, his eyes boring straight into hers as he allowed a painful hex to course through her.

"Oh!" Dora cried as she clutched Rigel to her breast and struggled against the pain of her husband's spell. "Rab—"

Andromeda threw a shield between them, knocking the man backward onto the floor. "You will not harm her on my behalf, Rabastan," she snapped. "It is not her fault that she was stuck with me. I cared for her when there was no one else, and it looks like there is no one else once again, not even her own husband. I find it pathetic that you do not care enough for her to respect her decision to seek shelter here. Perhaps you do not trust her?"

Nymphadora stared down at her husband on the floor as tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. "Mum, please don't hurt him," she breathed. "Please."

"You can leave," Andromeda said to him coldly. "You can leave and be hunted like Mudblood filth, or you can stay and behave yourself. The choice is yours."

"Rabastan," Dora sobbed, rushing to his side and throwing herself into his arms as she had placed their sleeping child on the couch. "I'll do anything. Just don't leave me now. Stay, for Rigel's sake."

"You planned this," Rabastan hissed at her, refusing to embrace her. "You came here and planned this with _her_ —"

The witch choked back her tears and nodded, her entire body trembling against his. "I had to make sure there was a safe place if I lost Mum—it was the only way. Andromeda would fight for us, as her family, her flesh and blood. She would protect our son, would do anything, I'm sure."

His hand slid to rest on her back, but Dora knew it wasn't over. "Until I can find another place," he warned her darkly. "I will not let you and Rigel stay here."

"Okay," Dora sniffed, though couldn't stop the tears running down her cheeks.

"I'll keep Delphi in my room," Andromeda said, turning toward the stairs.

"Wait," Dora said, then took the bag that she'd got from the nursery, using her wand to separate her sister's things. "Take her things."

Andromeda disappeared up the stairs, and Dora turned back to her husband, who still looked angry as he got to his feet. "I assume you know this place?" he said coldly.

Dora took her son up from the couch, choking back her emotion as she led her husband up the stairs and down the hall into her old room. She sniffed back her tears, setting up their things with a flick of her wand. "Rigel," she whispered, taking the charm off the child. "Wake up now. You must be hungry...you've been asleep for hours."

She kissed his head as he stirred, crying out softly as he reached up to her. "I love you," she murmured before preparing to feed him. The boy ate eagerly, sitting on her lap as she watched Rabastan dress for bed. A few moments later, Rigel was finished with his meal and looked to his father, calling out in childish syllables.

Rabastan didn't look at the child, walking around the bed and crawling beneath the sheets on the other side. The child cried out in distress, and Dora kissed the child's black curls. "Shhh, baby," she breathed. "Not now." Rigel began to cry, and Dora rose from the bed, beginning to walk the floor with him.

Nymphadora was exhausted by the time Rigel had cried himself to sleep, and laid the child in his cot, ready to crawl into bed herself. She quickly prepared for bed, sliding beneath the sheets, biting her lip as Rabastan turned away from her. "Rabastan?" she whispered. "Hold me?" She desperately wanted him to comfort her in her sorrow, though she soon realised he was not about to do anything to help her.

"I will hurt you if you bother me," came his too calm voice.

Shocked, Dora curled up with her back to him, trembling with her emotion as she tried to stay silent. It took her only a minute or two to realise she couldn't stay there, and got up, taking Rigel with her as she hurried from the room and down the hall, a sob escaping her, though she paused at the top of the stairs to make sure she could see before walking down them.

Nymphadora placed the child safely in a crib she conjured next to the couch and Silence warded it before she collapsed onto the couch, bursting into hysterical tears. She couldn't contain her sorrow and pain any longer, almost shrieking in her distress as she wept. No one came to soothe her; no one was there to help her keep her sanity in the midst of it all. She couldn't help writhing in the mental pain of losing her mother, of Rabastan rejecting her: she felt torn apart, and didn't know what to do to unite what few family members she had left. She had had no choice but to run to her old home.

Meanwhile, upstairs in the master bedroom, Andromeda walked the floor with Bellatrix's youngest daughter, murmuring soft words to her as she bounced her gently. "Dora's hurting, isn't she?" she sighed as Delphi seemed to cry out, hearing the witch crying downstairs. "Well, I can't help her, at least not yet. I'm sure her husband sent her away—he's a nasty piece of work, isn't he?"

Delphi giggled, and Andromeda smirked at her proudly. "Yes, petal," she said, kissing the child's face. "You are an intelligent one. I'm sure Mumma Bella is very proud of you."

"Mumma," Delphi said, reaching up and touching Andromeda's face. "Mumma!"

"Dear Merlin, no," Andromeda said sharply. "Not Mumma. Andromeda. I'm Andromeda."

Delphi pouted, laying her head on the woman's shoulder, and Andromeda sighed, unable to resist the girl's expression. "You player," she muttered.

* * *

The next morning, Andromeda woke to sound of a child calling out, "Mumma! Mumma!"

She half sat up, saying, "Dora?" sure it was another dream about the girl she'd loved and raised as her own.

To her surprise, when she turned over to check her clock for the time, she saw a little black-haired girl holding onto the bars of her cot, watching her. "Wha—oh, Delphi," Andromeda sighed.

She slid out of her bed and took the girl into her arms, holding her close. "You're so quiet," Andromeda marveled. "Much more than Nymphadora was. Are you an early riser, too, like me?"

Delphi wrapped one small arm around the witch's neck, giving a small sigh. "Mum..."

"Shhh, baby," Andromeda said softly. "Mumma's gone, given herself for the Dark Lord and his cause."

Andromeda fell silent for a moment, suddenly sorely missing her older sister. "And you lost both parents at once," she murmured against the girl's now silver hair. "Don't worry, though. Dora and I will protect you."

The girl looked up again, reaching out to touch the brown-haired woman's face. "Mum?" she sniffed, her lower lip beginning to tremble.

Andromeda carried the child to the window so she could look out into the morning sky. "Look, love," she whispered as the girl cried softly. "I know she's gone from us, from you and Dora, but she's never really far away." She pointed toward a star that shone brightly even as the sun was beginning to rise. "Bellatrix will always be watching over you and your sister, Delphi. You'll never be without her."

Andromeda watched the one year old child stare mesmerized up at the sky. She left her sitting in the windowseat, warding it so the child couldn't fall out. Andromeda hurried to get dressed for the day, then went back to her second niece, taking her up and leaving the room, going downstairs.

Delphi pointed to the witch curled on the couch, saying, "Dora?"

"Yes, Dora's sleeping," Andromeda said. "Shh. She's tired from what happened yesterday. Come on: we'll start breakfast for Dora and her family, hmm?"

She took the child into the kitchen, her wand in her hand as she began to gather things for their meal. Andromeda shook her head slightly, thinking that Rabastan would most likely refuse to show up for breakfast, and decided that she wasn't about to waste food on him.

Moments later, she set a ward around Delphi, letting her play on the floor as she went back to the sitting room to wake Nymphadora. After watching the sleeping witch for a moment, Andromeda reached out and placed her hand gently on Dora's back. "Dora," she said softly, "it's morning...time to wake up."

"No," groaned the witch, turning to hide her face in the couch cushion.

"Well, your sleeping habits haven't changed," Andromeda smirked. "Do you feel like you could eat some breakfast? You'll need your strength, dear."

"Mum," Dora sighed, then yawned. "I—I'm fine."

Andromeda nodded, then motioned to her still-sleeping son. "He'll need your attention, and breakfast will be ready in five minutes or less."

Nymphadora agreed, then sat up, swinging her legs off the couch. "I'll go see if—if Rab wants anything," she said. "I'll be right back." Dora got to her feet, walking back up the stairs to her old room.

She found Rabastan lying on his back on the bed, awake and staring at the ceiling. "Rabastan?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you hungry?"

"No," he said shortly, not turning to look at her. "You didn't leave Rigel with that woman?"

"He is still sleeping," Dora said, biting her lip. "I—I was about to wake him so I could feed him, but I wanted to know if you would join us for breakfast..."

"Nymphadora, the influence that woman has had on you—that she will have on Rigel if we stay here—" Rabastan clenched his fist. "I left to protect him and you, not to have you run to a blood-traitor. I cannot let her put all the wrong ideas into his head!"

"Andromeda taught me the Unforgivable Curses," Nymphadora replied, coming closer to the bed and looking down at her husband's face. "She prepared me as well as she could for what I was to become later in life. She taught me pureblood supremacy, though her husband always confused me. I understand now that she loved only him, and she doesn't give two shits about any other Mudblood."

Dora bit her lip as she reached down and touched Rabastan's hand hesitantly. "She taught me how to use my powers as a Metamorphmagus," Dora said, remembering the night she and Andromeda had giggled together and morphed each other into different people they knew. "She knows so much more about it than I do—that's one reason Bella left me with her. She knew Andromeda would understand me."

Rabastan drew his hand away from hers, then asked thoughtfully, "Andromeda could take care of Delphi so we don't have to bother with her, couldn't she?"

"She has offered to keep Delphi in her room," Nymphadora agreed, her breath catching in her throat slightly. "Though I cannot leave her here all alone: Mother would be furious if her second daughter was left to Andromeda."

"Then why would you bring us all here?" Rabastan growled. "If you wanted to follow your mother's dying wish, but you still brought that brat here and you've returned to Andromeda as Bellatrix always feared? It doesn't seem that you actually care what your real mother wanted."

Nymphadora clenched her own fists to keep her temper under control, then said, "You don't have to accept this, Rabastan, but don't mock my mother and don't undermine my love for her. And don't hate me for wanting back the only witch that acted the part of a true mother. Bellatrix tried, bless her, but she didn't know love and kindness like Andromeda does."

Rabastan shook his head. "Just go away."

Dora left the room, going back down to the dining room and picking Rigel up on the way. She shook her head at the brown-haired witch when Andromeda looked up at her. "He's not coming."

"Well, I didn't make him any, either," Andromeda shrugged.

"Mum!" Dora said reproachfully.

"Are you sure you should call me 'Mum'?" Andromeda asked her, turning to send their breakfast flying to the table.

"I—well, you earned it," Dora said stubbornly. "I never stopped thinking of you as my mother, even when I learned the truth."

The witch nodded, then motioned her to the table. "Ah," Andromeda smiled when Delphi pointed at the steaming hot food and looked up at the witch who held her. "Hungry, little one?" Andromeda made sure to cool the food before allowing Delphi to have it, then looked at the brown-haired witch curiously. "Has she always been a quiet child?"

Nymphadora looked from her son to her sister, frowning slightly. "She doesn't cry for what she wants, at least not often," she said. "She's become more quiet as she's grown, but only Bella—Mother—would know her normal."

"I just wondered," Andromeda said. "She's done so well, for a strange place and a new face."

"Not so new," Dora bit her lip. "You and Bella do look a lot alike."

"Well," the older witch said quietly, "sisters tend to do that."

"I—I miss her," Dora whispered, looking to her plate as she couldn't look at Andromeda anymore. "I wish she were still here, but she'd be just as upset as Rab—do you think she would understand?"

Andromeda was silent for a few minutes, then answered, "She would never understand in her madness, but deep down she would have understood. But she'd still try to tear me to shreds."

Dora smiled wryly, then said, "You do know that you would not have defeated her in your duel in Diagon? She was too powerful for you—I couldn't let her kill you."

"I know," Andromeda said. "But I couldn't help taunting her; it's just natural. I left the Alley as soon as you left with Bella. There were other Death Eaters there, and I didn't want to risk attracting their attention."

"Well, you should have left when I told you to," Dora said.

"Dora, I do not answer to Bellatrix," Andromeda answered sharply. "I never have. I do not fear her, and I've never let her dictate my actions."

"I only wanted to keep you safe," muttered the girl. "But you wouldn't heed my warning."

Andromeda smirked. "You drew attention to me by just standing there," she said. "I wouldn't have drawn attention if—"

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Yes, you would. You and Mother and Aunt Cissa all stand out."

"Ha!" laughed Andromeda. "Speaking of Narcissa, I have a portrait of her that is connected to a frame in Malfoy Manor. If you want, you could let Narcissa know that you're safe, though you shouldn't tell her anything else."

"Really?" Dora said earnestly. "I did want to make sure she didn't worry too much."

"Oh, she'll worry," Andromeda said knowingly. "She worries too much, about everything. It will help her to know, though, until she realizes where your message came from."

"We won't be staying here?" Dora asked.

"It's too obvious," Andromeda answered. "This was your home at one time, so the Ministry will check here, naturally." Dora continued to look worried, and Andromeda got to her feet, clearing the empty dishes from the table with a sweep of her wand. "Come along, Dora. The portrait is in the attic."

Nymphadora followed the older witch, both with a child in their arms as they walked up to the attic. Andromeda smirked at the girl, then said, "Don't let Rigel touch anything up here. You do remember that I have things here from my old home."

Dora nodded, then asked curiously, "Would I be able to open the things that you cannot, then?"

"Yes," Andromeda said simply, lighting her wand and leading the way inside the room. "Though I would not suggest doing it without Rabastan or Narcissa present. Some of these things can get out of control quickly, and I would not be able to help you."

"That's why you locked Dad—Ted—out of here?" Dora grinned.

"Well, any of those artifacts would have seriously hurt him if he had touched them, or fiddled with them," Andromeda said. "So I warded the door against him. Ah, here it is, Dora." She raised her wand, illuminating something wrapped in a cloth.

Nymphadora picked up it, the cloth slipping off to reveal an empty frame, and Andromeda nodded to her to go ahead. "Uh, Narcissa?" Nymphadora said awkwardly, and Rigel's eyes widened in the wandlight as Narcissa's blond head first faded into the frame. "I just need you to let your living counterpart know that Rab and I and the babies are safe. And that I love her."

The portrait of Narcissa smirked slightly. "No emergency to report this time?"

"This time?" Dora said in confusion. "No..."

"Good," said the portrait, fading from the frame once more.

Andromeda gave a small laugh. "I contacted Narcissa with that portrait when Cygnus kidnapped you," she explained. "That's what it means."

Nymphadora was about to speak when there was a sudden crash, and a pile of boxes behind Andromeda fell over. Andromeda turned, then realised what had happened. "Delphi!" she scolded. "Don't touch!"

The grin didn't leave the child's face even as she was scolded, Delphi twisting in the witch's arms to see what she'd done. Andromeda sighed, waving her wand to right everything, then walked forward, out of the attic. She stopped short, seeing the dark-haired man leaning against the wall a few feet away as she stepped out of the room.

"Rab?" Dora said softly, slipping past Andromeda to see him clearly. "What is it?"

"Come with me," Rabastan told her, holding out his hand. She took his hand without question, leaning into his side as they walked back toward her old room. She set Rigel down on his cot, the child sitting up and watching them curiously.

"There's a portrait Andromeda has that's connected to Malfoy Manor," Nymphadora told her husband. "I just let Narcissa know that we're all safe."

"Safe? No," Rabastan said. "Nymphadora, you and Rigel and I are leaving here tomorrow." Nymphadora frowned, and he grabbed her by the wrist, staring her straight in the eyes. "No, we are not taking Delphi with us, and no, the blood-traitor will not go with us. You've tried my patience long enough, Nymphadora."

Nymphadora felt the roots of her hair turn bright red, then snapped, "I will _not_ leave Delphi here! I—" She reeled slightly as Rabastan struck her across the mouth. "Rab!" she yelled in anger and pain. "Stop it! You're being unreasonable!"

Rabastan glared at her. "Unreasonable?" he growled. "You said I don't have to accept this, and by Merlin, I'm not going to. We are leaving, Nymphadora."

The second she opened her mouth to speak, he grabbed her by both wrists and drew her much too close for comfort. "Rab, please," she said, raising her head to look into his dark, angry eyes. "Give her a chance—"

A spell crackled from the man's hands into her body, and Dora screeched in pain for a moment before groaning, writhing in her husband's grasp. "Rabastan!" she shrieked, clenching her fists to keep herself from crying out again.

He slammed her against the wall, her head hitting the hard surface and making her groan. "You will not question my decisions!" he shouted at her even as she continued to struggle. "You will obey me, Nymphadora, and leave the brat here with that blood-traitor filth!"

A scream escaped Nymphadora as the Curse intensified. "You will be an obedient wife and mother," Rabastan yelled at her, madness raging in his eyes as he shook her violently. "You will not show me the stubborn attitude I have been seeing recently!"

"You sound like your brother!" Nymphadora shrieked, tears running down her face as she fought him. "Stop it!"

Rabastan stared at her for a moment, the magic dying out of his touch. Her body trembled in his grasp, Dora staring at her husband with tears streaming from her eyes. She didn't speak, afraid that he would continue the torture.

"Well?" Rabastan said, staring at her coldly.

"I—I—" Dora breathed, shuddering with pain.

"Perhaps you need tonight to think about it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you just being stubborn?"

A sob escaped the witch as she watched the man, unable to answer. She felt magic crackle in his hands again and cried, "No, Rab, please! Don't do it again! I'll—"

Both adults turned, hearing their son cry, "Mum! Mumma!"

Nymphadora stared at the child, who stood holding onto the bars of his cot, tears in his beautiful brown eyes. "Rab," she whispered, but he ignored her, pushing her from himself and walking across the room toward the little boy.

The witch slid down the wall, trying to control her breathing as she watched Rabastan take Rigel from the cot. She wrapped her arms around her knees, tears still running down her face. Now, more than ever, she need Narcissa's wise counsel.

Rabastan held his son close, murmuring to him softly before sitting on the floor with him to play. Rigel seemed to be happier now that his mother wasn't shrieking and crying, the boy glad to play with his father.

Dora waited a moment, then painfully got to her feet, walking to the door. It was only when the ward rejected her that she realised Rabastan had locked her in the room.

Rabastan glanced at her when she turned to him, hurt and angry. "You will not go crying to Andromeda," he said. "You are not leaving this room until I think you're ready."

Nymphadora just stared at him, shocked at his behaviour. She crept to the bed and curled up on it, clenching her fists as she struggled to calm herself. She distracted herself by thinking of what Bellatrix would do to Rabastan if she'd known what he had done. It was almost laughable, though her heart hurt.

Dora sniffed, rubbing her faded Mark as she thought of her mother. She didn't know what would happen now.


	2. On the run

**Thanks for the reviews, favourites and follows so far! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one!**

 **Enjoy**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora didn't remember falling asleep, though from the glow on the inside of her eyes letting her know that the afternoon sun was beginning to set over the Tonks house she could only assume she had slept most of the day away. Clearly her body had needed the rest, after the battle at Hogwarts and then...her body shuddered at the thought of her husbands behavior as she resigned herself to pretending to sleep. She listened to her son, on the floor at the foot of her bed, playing with his building blocks by the sounds of things. She assumed Rabastan was down there with him, acting the height of innocence and fatherly perfection.

She held back a shudder at the thought of his behaviour, truly having no idea of how to go on from this. After a few moments of silent contemplation Nymphadora decided to risk moving, something was digging into her side making her far too uncomfortable to fake sleep entirely. It was only as she went to turn and felt the object move beneath her that she realised what it really was. With a deep breath Nymphadora decided to be brave and open her eyes. Rabastan's dark eyes were staring down at her, though the minute she made eye contact he looked away. Nymphadora felt the strong arm of her husband wrap around her back, she tensed on instinct. The expelling of breath from her husbands lips made Dora look up again, though her head soon had Rabastan's forehead pressed against it, she was staring straight at his neck, taking in each and every detail of his old Azkaban number tattoo as she waited for him to say or do something, anything.

"Do you hurt still, Dora?" His voice was barely above a whisper, speaking with his head still nuzzled against hers.

The witch considered this for a moment, she did still hurt, the residual pain of multiple curses running through her still. Though did he ask this in concern or in the malice of his previous actions, wanting to ensure she was in pain. Though one thing stuck out in his sentence as she turned it over in her mind; Dora. He has called her Dora, not Nymphadora. She bit her lip and screwed her eyes shut as she let herself nod slightly.

She felt the man adjusting her in his arms as he pulled her close, drawing his wand as before trailing it down the length of her back. Instant relief flooded her tired muscles and joints relaxed under him. Dora let herself reach her hand up, resting it on his side. The witch continued to lay there in silence, not daring to move or say a word as she tried to comprehend what on earth was going through her husbands mind. One minute he had her under a Crucio and the next he was laying there lovingly stroking her back, kissing her head as he relieved her pain.

"I don't want to lose you, Nymphadora ..." his voice was so quiet if it weren't for the close proximity Dora was sure she wouldn't have heard him. She remained silent, nearly hearing her husband mentally trying to find the words to say "I don't want to hurt you . . . But you need to listen . . . I don't want to lose you."

Dora hesitated for a moment before she sighed, adjusting herself in the mans arms until she could look up to his sorrow filled face. She reached up to his features, gently stroking her hand along his jaw line "I know . . ."

"You should hit me." Rabastan sighed "Curse me."

"I won't hit you." Dora sighed.

"You should."

"Well I won't."

"Dora—" Rabastan sighed exasperatedly before he gentle removed his arm and sat up, staring at their son on the floor as he played happily "I can't risk her influence on you—on _Rigel_."

"Rab that's silly." Dora sat up though shuffled away from him slightly in order to lean her back against the head rest "She raised me for merlin's sake, any influence she was going to have on me is already done."

"No it's not." Rabastan shook his head "You're different from when you first left her home—better, but different. Her influence got diluted down, you're far quicker to do Death Eater tasks and the likes, you used to hesitate more."

"I was nervous, not unwilling." Dora shook her head "Who do you think taught me all about Dark Magic? Who taught me about the basics of the unforgivables? Hmm?"

"Who let you go gallivanting about with a half blood werewolf?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow as he turned to face her "She never tried to stop you from associating with such filth. I'm sure she would have let you marry him and don't even dare say you don't care about him anymore—I saw your fists clench when I mentioned him."

"I thought I was a half-blood . . . I had a pureblood boyfriend once." Dora hesitated for a moment before she looked down to her hands bunched up in her skirts on her lap "You—You saw him. He was the man I killed in the battle . . ." Dora gathered herself for a moment before she looked to Rabastan firmly "He used me for a year only to dump me on the last day of seventh year, said he couldn't go any further because of my blood—he had planned to use and lose me from the beginning. I funnily enough thought "What would Andromeda do?" and sent a fierce Crucio his way. I certainly didn't want to date another pureblood after that, what pureblood would want to knowingly be with a half-blood?"

"And that is all her fault, she should have raised you pure." Rabastan snapped, wincing as he watched his young wife jump back and heard the confused 'Daddy?' of their son.

"We have to take her, do you want me pre-occupied with Delphi 24/7? She can look after Delphi . . ." Dora muttered. "Rab, please don't make me lose them. I just lost my mum, after not knowing her for 21 years I _lost her_. Now the only thing I have left of her is that little girl and I _promised_ I would keep her safe." Tears streamed down Dora's face as she stood from the bed, walking around in front of her husband so he could see her "Andromeda can keep both the children safe, we can't duel off those who are sure to come after us if we have children to protect—Delphi or no Delphi. Please Rab—I don't think I can do it! I love you and I want to keep you and our son safe of course but I can't. What if I make a wrong move? Just one wrong move and Rigel could be without his parents! He'll be raised by someone else and never know us! I can't cope with that, we need as much help as we can get." Dora had broken down on the floor, crying hysterically to herself as she tried to get her point across with all that she could "Hurt me if you want, I don't care."

Nymphadora shook on the floor, her son soon wailing a few feet from her as he couldn't go to her from his warded play area. As her hair fell limp past her features Dora barely realised the arms that came around her, the lap she was pulled in, nor did she ever realise the few tears that fell on her heart shaped face that were not her own. As she tried to calm herself she felt a little pair of arms wrap around her, smiling sadly through the sobs at her young son, pulling him onto her lap as he sat between his mother and father.

"I didn't want to hurt you, Dora." Rabastan shushed into his wife's ear "I snapped . . . Azkaban—it weakened my mind too—I couldn't control myself—I didn't mean to."

"It's okay." Dora breathed, leaning into Rabastan.

"It's not okay though." Rabastan argued.

"No . . . hitting or hurting me in any way is never okay . . ." Dora sniffed "But it wasn't you . . . We've both been through a lot these last few days—I daresay I could have easily tried to curse you into submission."

Rab kissed bother Dora and Rigel's cheeks before he looked back to his wife, brushing the hair gently from her face "We need a proper plan Dora . . . But for now do me one kindness?"

"Okay . . ."

"Don't call her mother—or mum or anything of the sorts. Call her Andromeda. She's not your mother, Dora." Rab shuddered "You are not a half-blood."

Dora nodded gently, watching her son snuggling into her side as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder "Okay."

The trio sat like that for longer than any of them could say. First sitting in silence as Rigel happily gave a rare moment of seated silence with lots of cuddles given to each of his parents, then both parents played with their child as he giggled cheerfully, when it came time for dinner Nymphadora popped down to the kitchen. Andromeda was not there, though a few plates of sandwiches were on the side, one cut up into tiny little pieces with a yoghurt on the side, clearly the woman someone knew the small family needed some space. They happily ate, played then put their child to bed for the night, the two parents not far behind. As Nymphadora laid in the arms of her husband she stared out the window that looked out to the back garden of the house, the old metal swing set creaking eerily gently back and forth as it called to Dora with all of her childhood memories. The metamorphmagus fell into a troubled sleep at the thought of what they would actually planed to do, she was sure there was lots to come for the family soon. First thing on her lsit of objectives? Discuss matters with Andromeda, then perhaps getting Rabastan to at least be amicable. Dora was sure going back to war would have been easier and simpler.

* * *

Nymphadora woke at 7am, entwined in her husband as she looked over his shoulder to see the culprit of her early morning wake up call. She smiled at Rigel before she tried to slowly untangle herself from Rabastan "Too early . . . Sleep." Rabastan mumbled, much to his wife's amusement.

"You stay there," Dora said as she successfully got out of the bed, quickly going over to her bag and changing into a casual dress before leaning over Rigel's cot minutes later. She lifted him into her arms "I need to go feed Rigel. I'll keep him downstairs so you can sleep a bit longer."

"Dora?" Rabastan called when she had reached the door, the dark haired witch turning to look at him as Rigel played with his mothers locks.

"Yes, Rabastan?" Dora asked, a look of all seriousness on her face, they stared at each other as Dora tried to ignore Rigels new interest in her locket before he simply shook his head.

"Nothing." Rabastan said, laying back down within the covers of the bed.

Dora sighed before she kissed Rigel's cheek, leaving her old room and slowly making her way down the stairs. "Why are you so wide awake so early, hmm?" Dora yawned at her son "You don't have a job to go to or school, you should be making the most of your lie ins for as long as possible." She grinned at the boys giggles.

"Foo'" Rigel cheered, his hair going pink.

"Yes, food." Dora laughed as she walked into the kitchen "No need to get too excited."

"Takes after his mother then?" Nymphadora looked up to Andromeda, the woman already placing pieces of toast on a highchair for Delphi.

"I—" Dora hesitated before she placed her son in the already summoned highchair next to Delphi "A little."

"He looks like you." Andromeda smiled slightly at the boy, putting some toast in front of him as he giggled in delight at his breakfast, stuffing his face.

"Meaning he can morph?" Dora asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

"No." Andromeda said "He's too young to consciously morph away his main features at the moment."

"Hmm." Dora looked to the boy for a moment before she flicked open one of the cupboards with her wand, accio'ing a cereal bar with a small smirk before she took a large bite out of it "I haven't had these in years."

"They're muggle rubbish and no good for you." Andromeda rolled her eyes, handing a whining Delphi her drink "I only ever kept them in the house for you." She laughed as Nymphadora looked questionably at the sell by date on the packaging "I brought some more recently."

"Oh . . ." Dora said before stuffing the rest in her mouth and waving her wand to make the packaging instantly disappear "Destroy the evidence."

"Yes," Andromeda sighed "I'm sure that Rabastan wouldn't exactly approve of you eating such things." She considered her once daughter, watching her watch the two children with a curious eye before she finally said what was on her mind "What happened yesterday? After our trip to the attic."

Dora looked down, considering each and every detail of her battle worn wand as if it were the first time she had seen it. She didn't know what to say to Andromeda, merlin knew what would happen if she had told her true mother. She twiddled the wood between her wand between her fingers as she tried to think of what to say. Finally, Dora shrugged "Nothing."

Andromeda looked to Nymphadora, giving her a look that made no doubt that she was indeed once a Black—a Pureblood of high breeding with all the perfectly practised facial expressions. The woman took a long sip on her tea, peering over the rim of her cup at the girl as she watched her squirm with the awkwardness of the situation. "He hurt you, didn't he?" it was said matter of factly, Andromeda didn't need her to reply to know the answer. As Nymphadora busied herself with fetching a piece of toast Delphi had decided to throw at Rigel, throwing it in the bin after it had landed on the floor. "What did he do exactly, Dora?"

Nymphadora swallowed sitting back in her chair, considering lying for a moment before she took a deep breath and looked Andromeda straight in the eyes "He used Crucio on me."

"And that is how you got the bruise on your face?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow.

"Well I didn't fully heal from the battle, I'm sure I got hit in the face then. It's a late bloomer." Dora summoned a mirror, wincing as she looked to her bruised chin before she instantly morphed it away "I'll get some bruise cream later."

"It's in the same place it's always been." Andromeda took another sip of her tea before she spoke again "So he used Crucio and hit you in the face. Is that all?"

". . . Yes."

"Has he done it before?"

". . . Yes—but only once." Dora looked away from Andromeda's piercing gaze "I may have swore at him whilst in an argument about Mum, she nearly killed him for it . . . He got very upset about it after, did anything I asked of him for a week."

"I suppose I don't need to ask what it was about this time." Andromeda sighed "He can't be very happy to be here."

Dora shook her head "He doesn't see the logic behind it . . . he want's me to go with him and Rigel and leave Delphini here for you to look after."

"No." Andromeda scoffed "I'm not being left to raise another of Bellatrix's children alone."

"I wouldn't leave her." Dora stated firmly, watching the silver haired one year old smooshing her last piece of toast into her face "She's my sister . . . She's . . ."

"She's Bella's." Andromeda nodded.

"I won't do it." Dora shook her head "I'm not leaving her—I'm not leaving either of you."

"Dora . . ." Andromeda sighed "You should have gone over this plan of yours with him before you came here."

"I wouldn't have got him here if I did that." Dora said.

"He loves you, I'm sure you could have persuaded him eventually." Andromeda shrugged "Dora, you need to understand that he wasn't raised as you were. He was taught that a wife is there to simply look pretty and give him heirs." Andromeda raised a hand to stop Nymphadora protesting "I know that he doesn't just see you as that, no man could know you enough to marry you and expect only that of you. But that doesn't mean he probably doesn't go against everything he was ever taught every day of his life. Add the stint in Azkaban—one that made Bellatrix fall completely off the edge, though granted she was closer to it before she went in—you should consider yourself lucky he's as level headed as he is."

"How would you know how level headed he is?" Dora raised an eyebrow, trying to divert the conversation elsewhere.

"Because if he was half as mentally unstable as your mother she would never have allowed you to marry him." Andromeda smirked knowingly for a moment before all seriousness fell back to her face "Though I'm sure Bellatrix would never give him a second chance you have put the man through a lot. You've dragged him to a blood traitors house whilst fleeing from what I am sure was a horrific battle. If he dares lay so much as a finger on you I will give him a punishment that Bellatrix would be proud of."

Dora smiled slightly "Duly noted."

"Mumma." Rigel grinned, reaching for the woman. She soon picked him up, placing him on her lap before kissing his head. Andromeda smiled at the pair before another call of "Mumma." Came from the little witch still sat in her highchair. The elder witches looked at each other for a moment, either unsure of what to say as the child continued her cries.

"Dora." Dora bit her lip as she reached over for Delphi, sitting one child on each leg, kissing Delphi's hair "Come sit with Dora."

"She's been doing that all night . . . Calling for her." Andromeda sighed.

"She's used to getting what she wants." Dora chewed her lip. "Once she—"

Both witches immediately looked to the windows, each feeling a disturbance in the wards. "Dora, take the children up to your room." Andromeda drew her wand, immediately standing "Now."

After a moments hesitation Dora nodded, standing up as she ran with the children up the stairs. She swore at the door as she tried to manoeuvre the children to open the door before she got a hand free, flicking her wrist to open the door before barging through it and dropping both children unceremoniously on the bed. Rabastan groaned in confusion in his hip, though sat up the minute he heard Dora tripping over her feet to get back to the door.

"What's going on?" Rabastan asked, getting out of bed and grabbing his wand. He looked to the children with confusion as Nymphadora muttered a quick silencio at the young pair.

"Someone's disturbed the wards." Dora whispered, moving to the side slightly as Rabastan came up beside her.

"We need to leave, now." Rabastan said.

"We can't." Dora shook her head "If it's Aurors they would have put anti-apparation spells up already and we can't use the fireplace."

"Shit." Rabastan swore, looking to the children then back to his wife before taking Dora's shoulder and pulling her back slightly "You stay with them."

Dora hesitated for a moment before she stood back, standing in front of the children with her wand drawn. She listened intently, the sound of the front door crashing open, the indignant yells of Andromeda carrying throughout the house.

"Excuse me!" Andromeda's voice carried up the stairs "You cannot barge into my home like this!"

"We've already cast revealing charms on the house, Mrs Tonks. Where are they? Which four are you hiding?" an Auror's voice rung out, though before Dora could jump to go defened Andromeda the sound of a curse flying and a body falling down the stairs sounded out, soon followed by multiple people firing spells left right and centre.

"Go get them!" Dora whispered "They can't get in here!"

Rabastan looked to his wife for a moment before he nodded and ran out of the room. Dora stood her ground, keeping her wand pointed straight at the door. A small hand grabbed hold of the back of her dress, she bit her lip "I can't turn around right now . . ." Dora said, though the tugging of her dress continued. She could hear the yells of curses from downstairs, both Andromeda and Rabastan going to an arsenal of darker spells to try and expel the multiple intruders to their home. The small hand tugged again, wincing Nymphadora reached her spare hand back, taking whatever child's hand was grasping for hair. "It's okay." Dora whispered "It's all going to be okay. It's just—" The door flew open, Nymphadora immediately putting up a shield to deflect the first spell fired by the Auror that had burst through her bedroom door. "Rabastan!" she yelled for help, firing the odd spell back at the man though mainly using defensive spells to protect the children. "Andromeda!" Dora screamed, deflecting another curse.

"Surely you don't need help, Lestrange?" the Auror yelled in his determination, a sly disarming spell finally catching the girl off guard.

Dora froze, the silencing spell seemingly breaking from the children as she suddenly heard their cries of fear and discomfort behind her as she tried to think of something anything to do. She yelled out as she felt the binding curse take hold of her, falling back onto the bed as she narrowly missed falling onto the children. She looked to the triumphant grin on the Aurors face, winced as she felt both her son and sister grab onto her, trying to get her attention. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to savour the last few moments she had with the pair before she was inevitably taken to Azkaban for life. "It's okay . . ." She whispered to the two crying children. Suddenly a sound of a body crashing to the floor sounded and Nymphadora snapped her eyes open. Andromeda Tonks was stood in the door way, her wand arm reached out. She took in the scene before with a flick of her wand Dora was unbound, she reached down and took the girls wand from the Auror and handed it back to her.

"Did you . . . ?" Dora asked she let the two children crawl onto her lap, pulling each one close to her.

"Rabastan is downstairs." Andromeda said "Grab your bag, go downstairs and wait for me. He's hurt."

Dora went to ask more but Andromeda was gone before she could say a word. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, taking a moment as she calmly took each child from her and placed them on the floor (she decidedly ignored Rigel grabbing at her legs as Delphi sat on the floor looking far too displeased for a one year old). With a flick of her wand the cot and all things they had needed to take out was back in her bag, she slung it over her shoulder before she leant down and scooped up the children. As she calmly walked down stepped over the Auror in her bedroom, avoided the debris of the bannister as she carefully walked down the stairs until she ultimately tried to keep her calm as she walked into the living room. Rabastan was unconscious, though clearly breathing, the blood on his head clearly marked a spot where he had previously had a large injury hastily healed. Nymphadora barely moved an inch as she felt Andromeda lift each child from her arms.

"Remember when Ted tried to take us camping when you were ten?" Andromeda said.

Dora nodded "I made him take us back when I was convinced a werewolf was in the woods—wasn't even full moon . . ."

"Go there." Andromeda said, looking to Dora firmly in the eyes "Dora. Everything is going to be okay, he'll be fine. I have my things, take him and carefully apparate there. Okay?"

"Okay." Dora swallowed before she shook herself back into action, going down to Rabastan and taking his arm. Andromeda was already waiting at the clearing, a squirming child in both of her arms as she set up a small area that they could not leave from.

"Dora, put every ward up that you've ever learnt." Andromeda said, walking over to Rabastan and moving her out of the way as she summoned her potions kit out of her own bag " _Now Nymphadora_."

Dora nodded, backing away as she watched her once mother work on her husband "Right." She turned, pointing her wand as she took a deep breath " ** _Protego Maxima. Fianto Duri. Repello Inimicum. Repello Mugletum_** . . ."

After a few minutes Nymphadora decided the campsite was as protected as it ever could be, as she turned around she was surprised to see that the tent was already erected and Andromeda was stood by the children, keeping them occupied. She walked over to the witch as she looked to her with a sad smile. "Are we sufficiently protected?"

Dora nodded "Would take an army of Death Eaters to rip that down." She ignored the confused look of the woman as she looked around the ground "Where's Rab?"

"In the tent." Andromeda sighed "He's fine, he'll wake up soon though. Go on, I'll look after these two."

Without another word Nymphadora ran to the tent, stopping only as she stepped over the threshold to silently thank Andromeda to replacing their old muggle tent with a wizarding one. After trying to figure out which way to walk she heard the faint groans of her husband and walked to the nearest room. Rabastan was laid on a double bed, groaning in pain as he reached for his head.

"What happened?" Rabastan asked, sitting up slowly and looking around before panic fell on his face "Where's Rigel?"

"He's with Delphi and m—Andromeda." Dora walked over to the bed, taking his hand as she sat down next to him "You got hurt whilst I was trying to protect the children . . . I got caught, tied up to be precise. Though Andromeda came up and I think she may have killed a man."

"You _think_?" Rabastan asked, wincing as he reached a hand out to stroke his wife's arm "Dora you're shaking. Were you hurt?"

Dora shook her head "I don't know he fell to the floor and she didn't say what she'd done. You got hurt Rab."

"I'm fine." Rabastan sighed as he leant forward and wrapped his arms around the shaking witch "Dora you're breathing far too quickly, calm down."

She took a slow controlled breath as she buried her head in his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him "I don't know how to heal people, Rab. You're quite good, if I get hurt you could just about heal me to an extent but I know nothing."

"Shhh." Rabastan stroked her hair, rocking slightly as he tried all he could to calm Dora.

"What would I have done if she didn't heal you?" Dora whispered "I couldn't even identify what had happened if I hadn't seen it! I was _bound_ Rab! I was about to be taken away!"

"Shhh." Rab sighed "It's okay. You didn't get taken away did you? . . . Andromeda saved you from that."

Dora pulled back, looking at her husband through tear filled eyes, her hair pure white "Rab . . ."

Rab shut his eyes as he sighed deeply, taking a moment before he opened them again and reached out to wipe the tears from her face. "Dora . . ." he leant forward, gently placing a kiss on her forehead as he lingered for a moment before speaking again "Come on, let's go to Andromeda and the children . . . We need to figure out where we're going next." He stood from the bed, walking to the opening of the room before he turned back to look to his shocked wife, holding out a hand "Well come on, we can't camp out here forever."

"Right." Dora nodded, standing up and taking a moment to morph her hair back to a long curled black before went over to the mans outstretched hand. She smiled slightly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before leading them out of the tent, she could feel the man tense as he took in the sight of their son sat on Andromeda Tonks' lap, both of the children giggling in amusement as she sent coloured swirls from her wand. Dora could see his 'pureblood mask' falling into place as he walked over to the witch, stopping next to her and clearing his throat.

"Hello Rabastan." Andromeda said, not looking up from her entertainment for the children "Do you feel alright? It was only debris hitting you that knocked you out so you shouldn't have any residual pain with the spells and potions you had."

"Yes . . ." Rabastan said curtly "Thank you."

Dora squeezed the man's hand in thanks, smiling as Delphi walked over to her, picking the small girl up and kissing her head. Andromeda watched the girl before she lifted Rigel as she stood, offering the boy to his father who took him into his arms with another mumbled thanks.

"Do you have a plan?" Rabastan looked to Andromeda then to his wife "Either of you?"

Dora shook her head, stroking Delphi's hair "I vote we conjure a fire and settle here for the night."

"We can't camp out here forever." Rabastan sighed, watching Andromeda conjure up three chairs.

"Thanks." Dora smiled as she sat down, nodding to the chair next to her for Rabastan who hesitantly obliged. She watched her husband lovingly hold their son, stroking his arm as the boy nuzzled into his father's dressing gown. Dora wasn't sure if Rabastan realised he was the only adult still in their pyjamas, though she made a mental note to revisit this memory to take a photograph—if she ever had a chance.

"We should stay here a night or two at the least before we try to move somewhere—well somewhere less out in the wilderness." Andromeda sighed as she sat opposite the couple.

"We have quite a few holiday homes." Rabastan looked to Nymphadora.

"We do?" Dora asked "Well that's news to me. When was the last time you went there?"

Rabastan hesitated for a moment before he spoke again "I believe we spent New Years 1980 at one of them . . ."

"I'm not taking the children to a place that you haven't seen in that long—it could be sold on by now for all you know or overrun with magical beasts." Dora shook her head, accio'ing one of the toys to give to her fussing sister.

"I would say the same about the Black holiday homes, merlin knows what state half of them are in." Andromeda muttered.

"You couldn't get into the Black holiday homes." Dora shook her head.

"Yes . . ." Rabastan looked up, a look on his face as if he had suddenly had a genius idea "You could key her into the wards."

"What?" Dora frowned in confusion "How on earth would I do that?"

Andromeda sighed "Yes, you could."

"No, I don't own them. They would have gone to mum—" Dora stopped short, thinking for a moment before she looked back to Andromeda "But surely they went to the next Black, to Narcissa."

"No." Rabastan shook his head "They would have gone to you. Bellatrix had an heir so all she owned went to her heir, _to you_."

"O-Okay, but we can't go to a Black holiday home for the same reason I won't let you take us to the Lestrange ones." Dora said, still confused as Rabastan looked to her with a reassuring smile.

"No . . . But _Black Manor_ is perfect. You went there not that long ago, you've never lived there and Andromeda is disowned." Rab hesitated before he carried on "Bellatrix went there a few months ago, she was considering moving there after . . ." Dora looked down to Delphi, trying to process what was being said, she still hadn't come to terms with her mother's death. "It would be perfect, Dora."

The young witch looked up to Andromeda, from the look on her face she wasn't jumping at the chance to go there either, though after a small nod from the woman Dora looked to Rabastan. "Okay . . . But we need to stay here for couple of nights. If the ministry think that we may go there it will be searched immediately. Let them make their move first."

"Okay . . ." Rabastan nodded, looking down at his son for a few moments before with a frown he looked to the two witches "We brought food right?"

Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly as she watched Andromeda summon some food from her bag, starting up a small fire as she prepared some breakfast for the adults. With a small smile Dora sat back in her chair, watching in silence as her husband and Andromeda seemed to atleast be amicable with each other. She decided to simply sit back and enjoy the moment as they ate rather than let the forever looming feeling of fear and dread take over yet again. She was sure they would be safe, eventually.


	3. Bridging the Gap

**I love Andromeda, as I'm sure some have noticed. XD Thank you all for all your encouragement and all so far. We appreciate it!**

 **Dora**

* * *

Dora woke the next morning to her husband's arms around her, his face pressed against her neck. "Rab," she murmured. "Are you awake?"

"No," he smirked against her neck.

"Silly," she said to him, turning to face him before pressing her lips to his. "I love you."

"I love you too," he murmured, pulling her closer. "Well, what do we do with ourselves for the next two days while we wait to go to Black Manor?"

"Plan," Dora said. "I know nothing about the place, because I've only been there once...Andromeda will have to help us know about the wards and all. I don't even know where the rooms are, or anything."

Rabastan chuckled. "I daresay I know the place better than you and I've been there...maybe ten times total? Wait, when did you go there?"

Dora remembered something, and said, "Twice, Rab. Cygnus kidnapped me from Andromeda's home when I was nine, and Narcissa rescued me. Then, Mother and I went to Black Manor and murdered Cygnus two years ago."

"Cheery," Rabastan muttered.

"Yeah," Dora sighed. "At least we don't have to worry about him, though."

"Will it be safe for the children?" Rabastan asked worriedly.

"We will all scan the house for anything that could injure them," Dora said seriously. "But it will be up to you and Andromeda to know all the dangerous artifacts. I don't have that much experience."

Rabastan nodded, hugging his wife tightly before sitting up with a yawn. "It'll be the safest house a Lestrange ever lived in," he promised her before Summoning a fresh robe and changing quickly.

Nymphadora stretched, yawning as well before yelping as Rabastan teasingly threw a dress at her. "Fine," she pouted, throwing back the blanket and summoning the rest of the garments she needed.

Her husband laughed, and she got up from the bed, pulling her dress into place before asking him if he would tie her corset. He complied before drawing her into his arms, embracing her firmly for a moment before saying, "Come on: let's find what it is that smells so good."

Nymphadora smiled knowingly, lifting Rigel from his cot and walking from their room out of the tent, Rabastan's arm wrapped around her waist. "Dromeda, you're too good," she told the witch, who looked up and greeted them.

"Get your plates ready," the woman told them. "It's nearly ready."

"Dowa!" Delphi yelled from the other side of the cooking fire, grinning at the reaction she got.

"Oh, Delphi," Dora said, grinning at her sister as she picked up plates for her and Rabastan and took them over to Andromeda. "How are you?"

The girl lifted her arms to her sister. "Dowa."

Nymphadora sighed, and Rabastan came over to her, taking their son from her so she could pick up Delphi. The girl wrapped her arms around her sister's neck, sighing as she lay her head against Dora's shoulder. "Are you sleepy still?" she asked. "Didn't you sleep last night?"

Andromeda snorted. "She was up most of the night, couldn't sleep because of the noises all around us. She acted just like you did when you came out here, though she couldn't beg us to take her home. She cried herself to sleep, wouldn't calm down no matter what I did."

"Aw," said Nymphadora, rubbing the girl's back gently. "You should sleep now, Delphi. There won't be as many weird sounds."

The girl turned her head the other way and sighed softly, Dora holding her more securely. Rabastan took one of the plates from his wife, Andromeda serving them their breakfast quickly so they could all sit down and eat together.

Rigel looked very interested in the food, and Nymphadora laughed at his reaching for his father's plate. She sat down next to them, Andromeda opposite them, and they all ate quietly for a few moments, though Rigel seemed very happy to help his father eat his breakfast.

Delphi looked up a few moments later and shrieked at the other baby, surprising all the adults, though Rigel seemed to yell right back at her, Rabastan smirking at the two children. Nymphadora patted her sister's back gently, murmuring, "Shh, it's okay. He's just happy to have food. Shh, Delphi."

The little girl rubbed her eyes sleepily, laying her head back down, and Andromeda shook her head at the child, not commenting. Finally, Rabastan broke the adults' silence by saying, "How are we going to manage going up to Black Manor?"

Andromeda looked at the couple, then said, "We'll be apparating, I believe—Nymphadora will have to allow me back into the wards, as I can't exactly enter without permission."

"You got in before, when you went to get revenge on Cygnus," Dora frowned. "How did that work?"

"He allowed it," Andromeda said, a scornful look on her features. "Otherwise I could not have entered. But besides that, we will have to reinforce the wards, though subtly enough that the Ministry will not notice. The house will have to be cleansed from top to bottom so that the children will not be in danger from anything Father or Mother had lying around the place. I'm not sure what else we'll have to do, or what condition the house will be in."

Dora and Rab nodded, and Nymphadora said, "So the first order of business is getting in, of course, and then you can help me and Rab know how to do the wards, because I don't know anything about the wards of a house. Then I'd want to find a room for the children—"

Rabastan nodded, but added, "We'll keep Rigel for the first few nights, though, until we're more used to the place."

"Well, we might have to switch up some of the rooms," Andromeda said. "The largest rooms are nowhere near the nursery, unless the plans have been changed. We'll have to see what we need. I'm sure we can move the rooms: I know Cygnus did it a couple times."

"Why would you move rooms?" Dora asked.

"Convenience," Andromeda said. "He wanted some of us further away, and some of us closer. I locked my room into the ward, but I doubt it's still locked. It's probably been destroyed..." She glanced into the fire a moment before turning her attention back to her breakfast.

"Well, I'm glad we won't have to camp out for a long time," Dora said, gently swaying with Delphi against her shoulder. "I don't think Delphi likes it."

Andromeda smiled. "No. Tomorrow we should be able to move, though we should do it before dawn."

Rabastan seemed to want to protest, but Dora said, "We'll catch up on sleep later. Safety is more important." He merely nodded, Rigel wriggling to be put down to play on the ground.

"I can't wait to be in a house again," Dora sighed, leaning her head against Rabastan's shoulder after drawing Delphi down to cradle her in her arms. "I miss it."

"Soon," he murmured, kissing her head quickly, and she smiled slightly, falling into silence as they sat still together, thinking about being safely sheltered once more.

* * *

When they were packing the next day, Dora grinned to see Delphi holding to Andromeda's dress and watching things organize themselves before flying into her enchanted bag. "Shouldn't you be packing your things?" Andromeda asked, raising an eyebrow at the younger witch.

"Rabastan is doing it," Dora said. "I already got Rigel's and Delphi's things, except for what you have of hers."

"Good," Andromeda said as the last few items flew into place. "We will soon be ready to take down the tent and dispel the wards."

"I'm ready," came Rabastan's voice as the man joined them from his and Dora's room, Rigel in his arms. "Shall we go now?"

The two witches nodded, all of them leaving the tent so that Nymphadora could pack it, leaving only the wards around them. With a sigh, Dora disintegrated the wards, turning to Andromeda. "I don't know the place."

Andromeda nodded, giving Delphi to her sister as she held out her hands to Dora and Rab. "It won't take long," she promised Rabastan when he glared at her. The second he took her hand, she disapparated to Black Manor.

Rabastan let go of her immediately, and Dora took a sharp breath, staring up at the entrance to the Manor. "Not that impressive," Rabastan smirked. "Our home is better."

Andromeda couldn't help laughing at him, though she turned away, knowing he wouldn't like it. Finally, Dora said, "How—how do I add you to the wards?" Andromeda turned back to her, and Rabastan looked between the two, sighing at them.

"Both of you come here," he said. "Dora, you must reach out and touch the wards. Know them, as they are part of you, your blood, your magic." Dora closed her eyes, reaching out her hands, feeling with her magic. "Let it flow through you," he murmured, then waited as he watched her carefully. "Now, you must add Andromeda's magic to that web: allow her access to what lies beyond these gates."

"How?" Dora asked, looking up at them. "What do I do?"

"The easiest way is to identify her magic first," Rabastan said softly, "then take her hand: bridge the magics and bind them."

Nymphadora obeyed, though as she reached out toward the brown-haired witch, she felt her magic, strong and vibrant, more open than she had ever felt it before. She forced herself not to be too curious, but to bring Andromeda's magic to the wards to settle them.

She felt the two collide, shocked as she felt the witch withdraw her magic slightly, breathing, "Dora—Dora—"

"I feel it," Dora said, not attempting to force the wards to accept her. "There are wards directly _against_ you...he really must have not wanted you back."

The two other adults made no comment as Nymphadora concentrated on the wards, magic crackling powerfully through her hands as she crushed the wards that excluded Andromeda. "There," she said, looking to the witch before she was to try it again. Andromeda was looking down and would not raise her head to look at the girl.

Dora took a steadying breath, then closed her eyes and reached out to Andromeda again, feeling the witch's magic more cautiously this time. There was a momentary struggle, and Dora hissed, "I will it!" effectively keying Andromeda into the wards.

The two witches stepped back, looking at each other for a moment before Dora shuddered. "That was awful."

"Now do me," Rabastan chuckled. "I won't be half as bad, probably."

"Probably?!" Dora groaned, though she reached out and wrapped her arms around him, wondering at how guarded his magic was. "You have to let me do it, Rab," she murmured, feeling his arms wrap around her. "It'll only take a second, okay?"

He kissed her head, his eyes closed as he forced himself to let go, allowing her what she needed to key him into the wards of their safehouse. When she was done, she pulled away, and Rabastan turned away from her almost immediately. Dora sighed, looking back at the entrance to the Manor once again. "Shall we go?"

Andromeda turned, taking Delphi into her arms once again as Rabastan gave Rigel to Dora, both following Nymphadora into the manor as the gates opened before her. "Where to now?" Dora asked, glancing at Andromeda.

"We need to reinforce the wards," Andromeda said. "Cygnus always did it from his study, but that is not where the cornerstone of the wards are. Follow me."

"Why wouldn't he?" Rabastan asked, frowning. "That's unusual."

"He was, to say the least," Andromeda nodded. "Cruel and unusual. Though he should have known the wards would hold better if he reinforced them properly—I just hope he didn't have reasons for not making them as strong as they should have been. We'd better all be extremely careful."

Rabastan frowned at something on a shelf, and before he could raise his wand, Andromeda flamed it, giving him a small shrug. "You take that side," she pointed toward the side of Dora he was on. "I've got this side. And if you hit any portraits, stick it to them good."

The man gave a small smirk, both he and Andromeda staying alert for potentially dangerous objects as they walked down the hall. "This way," she said, motioning to a door. "This used to be Mother and Father's room, though...I don't know what state it will be in..."

"Surely the house elves would have kept everything in order," Rabastan said. "After all, it wasn't that long ago that Cygnus died."

"And if Mother came here, hoping to live here, she would have made preparations for that, right?" Dora asked the other two adults.

Andromeda sighed. "Dora, some of the wards against me were hers. She put those up very recently, as well. I'm sure she would have tried to prepare for your coming here as well—she wouldn't have wanted you to live away from her."

Nymphadora stared at the witch, Rabastan wrapping his arm around her waist. "Come now, Dora," he murmured. "We can talk later. Let's get this done first. We must protect the children."

"The children—yes," Dora muttered, holding her son closer as she followed Andromeda into the room.

"Feel," Andromeda said, stretching out her hand and closing her eyes.

Dora giggled, and Andromeda opened her eyes again to see Delphi copying her, trying and failing to open only one eye. "Silly," Andromeda grinned at the child, kissing her silver-haired head. "Stop distracting your sister."

Rabastan couldn't help laughing at them too, though soon became serious once again as Andromeda guided Dora to feel the wards. "Let's do it together," Dora said, looking to her husband first before Andromeda second. "It should be more powerful that way, especially because of our relations and bonds."

The two agreed, but Dora noticed that the two did not make eye contact. She was glad when they all raised their hands, magic crackling, each speaking protective spells to add to the safety of their new home. The children, sitting at their feet, watched the visible sparks and streaks of magic in awe, giggling in spite of the seriousness of the adults.

When they were done, Nymphadora picked up her son and held him close, feeling Rabastan's arms around them both. "We'll be safe, Dora," he murmured against her cheek, and she nodded, sniffing slightly.

"Foo'," said Rigel decisively, looking from his mother to his father and back.

Delphi giggled and clapped her hands, seeming to agree, and Andromeda said, "Well, Dora, you've never known the elves from the House of Black, have you?"

Dora shook her head, and Rabastan squeezed her gently, Andromeda saying, "You might want to go to the kitchens and have a word with them: Rabastan will help you know what to say. I'm going to take Delphi and find suitable rooms to choose from. Do you know where the kitchens are?"

Rabastan nodded, and Nymphadora stared at him in shock. "How do _you_ know?"

"I know where all the kitchens in all the pureblood manors are," Rabastan shrugged. "I...used to sneak food from them sometimes."

"How did you get away with that here?" Andromeda scoffed.

"Sirius taught me," Rabastan said simply. "You forget he used to be the heir, Andromeda. He got away with _everything_ , and he was good at it."

"I'm the heir now?" Dora said despairingly, looking from Andromeda to Rabastan.

Rabastan grinned. "No, just the Head of the House of Black."

Her eyes widened. "The Head of—shit, I don't know anything about leading a pureblood house!"

Her husband laughed, kissing her head again. "Come on, let's go to the kitchen and you can start learning," he chuckled.

"I don't even know what that means!" Dora sputtered, still confused at the realisation of her new title. "What does the Head do? Sit around and invent new grimoires? Scheme how to influence the Ministry and manipulate other pureblood families?"

"Go," Andromeda laughed, motioning her toward Rabastan. "Just don't get lost."

"We won't," Rabastan said, leading her from the room, though Dora turned and gave her a pleading look. _Teach me_ , she mouthed, and Andromeda nodded with a small smirk before turning back to Delphi.

"Let's go find a nice, quiet room," Andromeda said to her thoughtfully. "I know you're getting tired, but you probably want a snack before your nap...we will have to let Dora choose first, though. I still can't imagine her as the leader of our House." Andromeda couldn't help grinning in glee as she held Delphi carefully, striding back down the corridor toward the rooms she'd used to know very well. She sighed, her excitement calming into nervous fear as she waved her wand to open one of the doors, prepared for anything.

Andromeda was disappointed to find that the room was empty, Delphi looking around in confusion. "I thought there would be more, too," she told the child, shaking her head. "I suppose not. Well, I hope the others rooms aren't as bare as this one."

She moved on down the hall to another room, Delphi grinning in anticipation as the brown-haired witch raised her wand.

* * *

Nymphadora sighed, leading Rabastan from the kitchen as he pretended to sulk before laughing at her teasingly. "Come on," she told him. "I want to see if Andromeda has found passable rooms for us."

"Fine," Rabastan said. "Though—Dora? When you're more familiar with the house, try not to follow Andromeda around so much?"

"I—" Dora began, then turned toward her husband, reaching out to wrap her arms around him. "I won't play favourites, Rabastan. You are my husband, and she is...she's my sister, sort of."

"She is not," Rabastan snapped, then buried his face in her hair and shushed her when she went to reply to him. "I know," he muttered. "It's difficult though, Dora"

Nymphadora hugged her husband firmly, replying, "I love you even more because you gave her a chance, Rab. So _thank you_ for allowing her to stay."

Rabastan scowled. "I would never have done it for her."

"I know," Dora whispered, looking up into his eyes. "It means a lot to me that you would let me keep her. You both are everything I have besides the children."

"Stop," Rabastan protested. "You're making me blush."

"Ha!" Dora smirked, leaning up and kissing his lips firmly, the two clinging to each other a few moments.

Rabastan finally pulled away and said, "Come on: let's see if she's found rooms. I have an idea for one of them."

Nymphadora glanced up at him and giggled, seeing the filthy smirk on his face. "Oooh!" she said, leaning into her husband's side as they walked down the hall with their son.

They found Andromeda in the sitting room, Delphi lying asleep in the witch's arms. The older witch looked up, nodding to the couple, and Dora said, "Did you find decent rooms?"

"There were some already prepared, spotless even by my standard," Andromeda nodded. "I do not know what Bella was up to, but she might have known that you would end up here if something happened to her."

"Why do you say that?" Nymphadora said uncomfortably.

"Just...a feeling I have," Andromeda waved off the question. "Something one of the ancestor portraits said. But if you wish, I will put Delphi in her cot and show you the rooms."

Nymphadora nodded, still arm in arm with Rabastan as they followed Andromeda from the room. "There are several in a row here," Andromeda said, motioning to doors that had markings on them. "I marked the ones that are ready. The others either need work, or are entirely bare."

Rabastan looked down the hall, walking forward to inspect the rooms for a few moments. "We should put the children directly between our rooms," he said to Andromeda. "It would be easiest to have them right here by us."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Dora said firmly, then looked up at Rab. "I like this room: it seems calm and quiet."

"I like it too," the man agreed.

"Did you figure out the meal schedules?" Andromeda asked them, and they nodded, Dora rolling her eyes again.

"It's stupid that everyone thinks women are to look pretty and produce children and yet run their entire home by themselves," Dora said decisively. "Narcissa made it all look easy!"

Andromeda smiled thoughtfully. "She has done well. Now, what time are we meeting back for lunch?"

Dora chewed her lip, then replied, "I thought we'd have it early, about eleven today. I wanted a chance to catch up on rest before anything else, though you could probably get breakfast if you wanted it."

"It's fine," Andromeda reassured her. "See you then."

Rabastan wrapped his arm around Nymphadora, pulling her into the room as soon as the other witch had turned away. Dora flicked her wand, setting up Rigel's cot before placing him in it and setting wards over it. Her husband drew her away, almost before she was finished with the wards, pulling her closer as he kissed her firmly. "I've missed you."

Dora smirked, whispering her own replies as he murmured softly into her ear. Rabastan held her tightly for a few moments before lifting her in his arms and carrying her to their new bed, wasting no time in using the idea he'd mentioned earlier.

* * *

Nymphadora yawned as she was soon awakened by Rigel's cries of "Mumma! Daddy!"

"Wha—?" groaned Rabastan, then sighed, still half asleep.

"Here," Dora laughed softly, slipping out of her husband's arms. "What's going on?" she asked Rigel with a smile. "Are you hungry again?"

"Mumma," he said firmly, reaching out to her.

The witch summoned her garments from their still packed bag, quickly dressing before she went to him, taking him into her arms. "Not hungry?" she raised an eyebrow. "Just wanting Mum? You are a spoiled child."

Rigel just grinned, and she grinned back at him. "You should wake your father. I don't think he wants to get up, though he wouldn't like to miss lunch."

She set the child down on the bed beside his father, grinning as Rigel curiously crawled up beside Rabastan. "Daddy," said the boy, then looked up at his mother, who nodded to him encouragingly. Rigel laughed joyfully, and Nymphadora couldn't help laughing too, wondering what amused the child so much.

"Rigel—Dora, where are you?" Rabastan half sat up in alarm, and Nymphadora smiled, leaning over to kiss him.

"He wanted us," Dora shrugged at Rabastan's questioning look at her at him.

Rabastan sat up, Rigel immediately demanding to be held. The man shook his head slightly and complied, then looked up to Dora, only to be interrupted by a scream from the hall.

Nymphadora drew her wand, hurrying to the door and cautiously looking out, seeing Andromeda down the hall, the witch staring at a large burnt spot on the wall. Andromeda's hair was bright red, and as Dora got closer, she breathed, "Andromeda, what happened?"

"I—I—" Andromeda took a deep breath and said, "There—there was a portrait of Father that greeted me when I left the room. I—I didn't mean to destroy the wall."

"Oh." Dora glanced at the wall and shrugged, waving her wand at it to repair it. She looked back at Andromeda, then said, "Your hair is red, and I think you scared Delphi."

Andromeda looked down to the white-haired child in her arms, then sighed, hugging the child gently. "Sorry, petal," she said. "Andromeda's a little jumpy."

Nymphadora fell in step with the witch, asking, "Is it the house?"

With a sigh, the woman nodded. "I hated this place. We all did. It meant nothing but awkwardness and suffering, and it was awful. Though it's better with you." Andromeda gave Dora a small smile before glancing down at her red hair and morphing it back to brown.

"Mumma!" Delphi cried, motioning to another portrait, and Nymphadora bit her lip, seeing herself and Bellatrix in the frame.

Andromeda did not look toward the portrait, though Delphi turned to see it again, staring at it as if questioning whether it was really there or not. "Mum," the child whimpered, rubbing her eyes.

Nymphadora bit her lip, trying not to look at her sister's innocent, unhappy face. The child finally leaned her head dully against Andromeda's shoulder, sniffing a little. Andromeda sighed softly, rubbing the child's back carefully as they entered the dining room.

Dora was surprised to see the newspaper lying on the table, and Andromeda nodded. "Now that you're here, the paper will arrive here every time a new one comes out."

"Oooh," said Dora, going over to the paper and looking down at it before gasping, "Andromeda, come look at this!"

Andromeda looked up from putting Delphi in her highchair, then went to Dora's side, picking up the newspaper.

 **Fugitives!**

 **In a strange turn of events, the Auror Office just disclosed that Andromeda Tonks, disowned member of the House of Black, was found to be sheltering Death Eater husband and wife team Rabastan and Nymphadora Lestrange. After a brief duel at the Tonks residence, the three fled the house, taking with them two small children** — **which is interesting, considering that the Lestranges only registered the birth of one child...what could they possibly be hiding?**

 **It might be suggested that the second was Andromeda Tonks' child, though her husband was brutally murdered almost three years ago by her own sister, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, the real mother of Nymphadora Lestrange. This mysterious second child must belong to one of the two witches, as** — **I'm sure the readers would agree** — **they do not seem the type to simply take in an unfortunate child.**

 **Though it is unfortunate that there are children involved, all three adults have a bounty on their heads, the Auror Office wanting any information that can be provided on them immediately. Use caution if you see any of the three, for they are armed and extremely dangerous: though she was never thought to have any affiliation with Death Eaters, Andromeda Tonks seems to act just like them, having murdered two Aurors in the flight from her home.**

Andromeda looked up at Nymphadora and grinned. "They're looking for me too, now!" she laughed happily.

"You murdered two?" Nymphadora said in surprise, staring at the witch.

"Yes," Andromeda said, slightly offended. "Don't judge me, Lestrange. No one touches my family, and the Auror that had bound you was _laughing_ as Delphi and Rigel were crying for you. I couldn't help myself. I also destroyed the one that hurt Rab, though he doesn't know that."

"I don't know what?" Rabastan asked, having just walked into the room with Rigel.

"Oh, she killed two Aurors," Dora shrugged. "Nothing important."

Rabastan smirked. "Is that all I don't know?"

Dora slipped her arm around him as he joined her at the table. "Well, the one was the one that bound me, and the other was the one that cursed you. I guess she was a little upset?"

"Upset?" Rabastan chuckled. "You saw that front page picture, didn't you?"

Dora looked down once again at the moving picture, Andromeda silent yelling at her opponent as she dueled almost directly into the camera, her eyes filled with rage as she battled the Aurors. "That must be directly from the memory of an Auror," Dora said in appreciation as it went black and started over. "Isn't it illegal to put something like that in the paper?"

Rabastan laughed. "Who cares what they did to the Auror? I'm surprised they could retrieve that memory after that spell hit him. Dear Merlin, Andromeda. Everyone who sees this will be able to find out what you did."

"Yes, well, they destroyed my home and injured you, almost took Nymphadora away—I think I had a right to be enraged," Andromeda said.

"They should have been smarter than to try to take you on," Dora told the witch.

"Yeah," Rabastan chuckled.

"Foo'!" Rigel suddenly shouted, and everyone looked at him, Delphi taking up the cry.

"You weren't hungry," Dora said to Rigel before setting him in the high chair as she shook her head. Sitting down, Dora signaled for the meal to be brought, and the family began to eat together.

Andromeda kept glancing at the paper from time to time, seeming very proud of herself, and Nymphadora couldn't help smiling at the thought that they were all a great deal safer now than they had been the past few days.


	4. Diagon Alley

**Thank you so much for all of your ongoing support, we both really enjoy reading each of your reviews and I do try and reply to each one! So if you have any questions or comments etc feel free to drop us a review and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can. For now, please do read, enjoy and please do drop us a review if you have a minute!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora chewed her lip as she looked to the clock on her bedside table for the fifth time that morning, staring at the hands indicating it was only just got seven o' clock. She stroked her husband's hand, the man having lazily draped his arm around her in his sleep, a small smile graced her lip as she watched her son wriggle to life. His small moan of tiredness sounded as the boy shuffled up the cot, raising his bum into the air first as he attempted to stand up. Dora held back a laugh, slowly and quietly getting up out of the bed and tiptoeing over to the cot.

"Come on Rigel," Dora whispered as she leant down and lifted the boy up into her arms "Mummy has things to do." She kissed his head, looking back at her husband for a moment before she slipped out of the room. She stroked the boys back as she walked a few doors down, sighing as she gently knocked on the door.

"Come in." Andromeda called out after a hesitant moment.

Dora kissed her son on the head, entering the room with the boy held tightly in her arms. The room was one of the more modest ones of Black Manor, though it was still on the larger side there was no en-suite, slightly smaller than the rest of the bedrooms and there were portraits in this room—something the room Dora and Rab were in lacked. The younger witch watched Andromeda for a moment as she finished getting Delphini dressed for the day.

"What's wrong, Dora?" Andromeda asked, placing a cardigan on the wriggling Delphi before placing her on the floor.

"This room is . . . different." Dora stated, clearly avoiding something with the woman.

Andromeda smiled knowingly as she put Rigel on the floor next to Delphini, summoning some of the girls toys for the corner to entertain the pair. "It's a guest room." The elder witch looked around the room before sitting down next to Nymphadora on the bed.

"Why are you in a guest room?" Dora frowned.

"Well I couldn't exactly go to my old room—" Dromeda shrugged "it's sealed."

"Well I can take a look at that . . ." Dora said.

"No." Andromeda shook her head "I'll go in there if and when I wish to. We're fine for now. Now, tell me what you want."

"What do you mean?" Dora shuffled on the bed, playing with her hands in her lap, she looked to the witch only to laugh slightly at the knowing look she received "Okay." Dora sighed "I have a plan . . ."

"Oh?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow.

"We need supplies." Dora said, looking to the witch "We need food, the elves have been using the food that we brought with us—I don't want to let them get food from outside in case we raise suspicion."

"That would be risky." Andromeda nodded "Though necessary. Would you like me to go?"

"No." Dora shook her head "I'll morph and go."

"Rabastan would never agree to that." Andromeda said.

"Rabastan needn't know." Dora shrugged.

"I see . . ." Andromeda considered it for a moment before he walked over to her bag "You'll need clothes."

"I have clothes." Dora sighed.

"No, you have a wardrobe of clothes that I'm sure we could sell one or two dresses and afford my home." Andromeda smiled at Nymphadora's blush "You can't go out in clothes like that, you'll stick out. You can use one of your old outfits."

Dora frowned "Why do you have my old outfits with you?"

"For occasions such as these." Andromeda said, pulling out a pile of neatly folded clothes and placing them on the bed "I also have your old clothes from when you were a small girl, I thought they could come in handy for Delphi if needed, Ted's old clothes and a few muggle garments."

"I—" Dora paused as she noticed the pile of clothes "Oooh! I miss this stuff!" Dora grinned, going through the pile as she ignored Andromeda disapproving look at her destroying the neatness of the previously folded clothes "My leather jacket!" the woman near enough hugged the floor length jacket, stopping as Andromeda laughed at her openly "What? Me and this jacket had some good times together I'll have you know."

"It's a jacket, Dora." Andromeda shook her head, going through the rest of the girl's old clothes and handing her a short denim skirt "Here."

Dora smirked, picking up one of her more low cut fitted long sleeved blouses "Think if I get back and Rab gets angry I could just use the seductive charm this outfit allows to distract him?"

"Nymphadora." Andromeda sighed, shaking her head disapprovingly, pointing to the privacy screen in the corner. The girl smirked mischievously before going behind the screen.

"You'll have to morph to a witch in her late teens, or else you'll draw too much attention as mutton dressed as lamb." Andromeda sighed, searching through the bag for a pair of Dora's old boots.

"Hey!" Dora yelled in protest "I wore this outfit the week before I left, I was 23 when I left."

"Yes and I relented in buying you that outfit when you were 18." Andromeda sighed, pulling an old pair of canvas trainers of the bag and smiling sadly "Ted got you these, Muggle shoes, to try and stop you from tripping over those boots you insisted on wearing."

"I loved those boots." Dora pouted as she stepped out from behind the screen, pulling her skirt down slightly and walking over to the mirror "This skirt is shorter than I remember . . ."

"Morph shorter." Andromeda sighed as the girl complied "Besides, that skirt was always that short."

"Hmm . . ." Dora looked to her son, sat on the floor staring up at her curiously as Delphi tried to sneak one of his toys away "Come here baby." She knelt down, picking him up and walking over to the mirror, she kissed his head firmly "Watch Mumma." After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath Nymphadora looked to the mirror, she slowly morphed each of her features, from her heart shaped face to her dark twinkling eyes. When she looked back down to her son through her now pale blue eyes she was completely unrecognisable, her son reaching up and pulling on her short blonde curls. "It's just me, baby." Dora smiled, sighing as the boy wriggled to be put down. "Give me the shoes."

"What do I tell Rabastan if he wakes up and wonders where you are?" Andromeda asked, passing over the shoes and watching Nymphadora.

"He won't wake up for a few more hours." Dora shrugged, giving the woman a coy smile "I kept him up last night and wore him out."

Andromeda wrinkled her nose in distaste "Wonderful."

"Well, you asked." Dora giggled.

"Right, excuse my mistake." Andromeda sighed "You'll want to leave through the back door, go to the end of the garden—you'll need to walk for at least ten minutes— and in the far left corner there's a space in the large red rose bushes. It's best to sneak out that way rather than through the front door in case people are watching or Rabastan looks out the window and sees you and tries to stop you. Walk another ten minutes and you'll hit the stream, it's outside of the ward boundaries so you can apparate from there with no risk of being traced directly back to the manor."

"Wow." Dora laughed "You clearly did a lot of sneaking out in your day."

Andromeda sighed "That's where Bellatrix used to sneak out from, I did find it useful once I discovered it."

"Interesting." Dora said, hesitating for a moment before she put on a higher voice, repeating herself "Interesting."

Andromeda rolled her eyes at the girl, going over to the vanity table and summoning some parchment, ink and a quill. Dora was giggling at Delphi trying to morph her hair blonde as Andromeda handed her a list. "Here." Andromeda sighed, watching the girl dart her blue eyes down the list, nodding "Okay . . ."

"There's a few things that will be helpful here." Andromeda said "I take it you withdrew sufficient gold in preparation for this? If not, I did empty my own vault."

"Don't worry, M—Andromeda." Dora smiled "Mum near enough emptied the vault of coin a while ago, not sure what she was doing but she put lots of useless heirlooms in there in it's place." She shrugged "I have it all, I'll take a handful."

"Right . . ." Andromeda looked the witch up and down for a moment before she notioned for the door "Go, the quicker you leave the quicker you get back. If you can't get back to the manor safely go to the place we took you for the summer when you were 13."

"Right." Dora nodded "Sounds like a plan." She grinned, kissing the woman's cheek before she dashed out of the room with a yell of goodbye.

The streets of Diagon Alley were livelier than usual, all witches and wizards who were previously in hiding seemingly celebrating their new found freedom by converging in the wizarding high street. Nymphadora had initially planned to stick to the sides, hiding in the shadows of the buildings as she got her shopping done, though after she had managed to get the food and gone out into the main parts of the high street she realised that was near enough impossible. There was the plus side of the business though; Dora could easily hide within the crowds of witches and wizards. As she approached the apothecary Dora looked around, tucking her magically enhanced handbag under her arm before she ducked into the room. The blonde witch swore to herself as she almost tripped over the door frame.

"Careful, young lady." The wizard at the counter called out.

"Sorry." Dora mumbled, looking down at her list as she walked towards the salamander blood.

"Oh that's okay!" the wizard grinned, coming out from behind his counter to approach the witch "I could not be upset at anyone for their clumsiness in my store today, for now is a time of celebration."

Dora forced a smile back, biting down on her tongue to stop herself saying something she would regret "Yes, lovely."

"I've just got a fresh stock in this morning!" the wizard declared, still unable to wipe the huge grin off of his face "I mean yes, we had deliveries when You-Know-Who was in control but they were limited and the clientele I received were less than savoury."

"Oh?" Dora asked as casually as she could "Like who? I hope you were okay, you seem unharmed."

"You know those in the paper yesterday, Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter? What's her name, Nympha . . ." The man frowned "Nym . . . Oh merlin knows, her mother was insane of course she's got a stupid name." Nymphadora nodded, gathering her things as quickly as she could whilst not arousing suspicion. "Woman came in here a few months back, I wasn't here but my wife was—questioned her blood and near enough cursed her before she threw her galleons at me and left the shop. Rude girl, no manners."

"Oh dear." Dora breathed, she had indeed come into the apothecary previously, she only popped in for one or two things and she most certainly did not question the woman's blood nor did she attempt to curse her. In fact, the occasion was so normal and uneventful she barely remembered the trip at all. Dora took her small basket of shopping to the counter, smiling politely at the man as he looked through her items.

"I daresay it's lovely to be back in proper business again." The wizard took a paper bag, unknowing that the witch in front of him was trying to think of a thousand ways to wipe that awful grin off the mans face "There's a special discount today in celebration, it'll be 11 Galleons, 13 Sickles and 24 knuts, miss."

"Thanks." Dora smiled politely, handing over the money and taking her change without another word before she shoved her items into her handbag and left.

She looked up and down the street again, she had completed the list of things that Andromeda had asked for along with the food and a few extra items. She looked down at her watch, chewing her lip for a moment as she decided her next move. She hadn't been caught so far, not even had as much as a suspicious glance her way, in fact everyone seemed far too jubilant to bother keeping their gaurds up on the look out for straggler Death Eaters. _Fools._ Nymphadora thought to herself, sighing as she decided to walk towards The Leaky Cauldron, merlin knew when she would be able to get out again. Successful trip or not if Rabastan caught wind of her little exploit he wouldn't let her out of his sights for a long while and would most likely find a way to convince her never to try it again. She pulled her jacket close, slipping past a couple happily giggling together besides her very own wanted poster, she couldn't help but feel herself smirk as she walked into the pub. After acquiring a glass of butter beer from the bar Nymphadora went to sit in a spare corner seat of the pub, watching the witches and wizards around her in their cheerful celebration. After a few minutes of sipping and watching quietly and patiently the girl sighed, clearly she wasn't going to overhear anything of any import at the bar. Just as her resolve to stay was starting to wane two wizards came up to her table, she felt her hand moving subconsciously to her wand as a wide grin split over one of their faces. They didn't seem like Aurors or undercover hit wizards, one was short and stout with a balding head, the other tall, though very large around the waist and from the looks of his walking stick he was not in the peak of physical fitness.

"Hey Miss," the man said "why are you sitting all on your own?"

"No-one should be on their own." The other man said "Especially a pretty lady such as yourself! Mind if we sit and drink with you?"

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she smiled sweetly "Sure, I'm leaving after this drink anyway." The two men sat in the available seats next to the witch, looking far too happy for their own good. Nymphadora clasped onto her drink with both hands, forcing an awkward smile as she slouched back into her seat. The girl did have to admit it was fun being out in public without having to carry herself in the ways that Narcissa had been drilling into her the past few years.

"I'm Ben by the way, this is Taylor." The tall man said cheerily "You are?"

"Oh I'm Hestia, Hestia Forbes." Dora said.

"Nice to meet you Hestia." Taylor smiled.

"So, I take it you've heard about what they're calling 'The Battle of Hogwarts'?" Ben near enough jumped over his words in excitement "Brilliant, isn't it?"

"Yes," Dora nodded "it is."

"My daughter was there when it happened." A smug grin appeared on Taylors face as he took a sip of his drink.

"Oh?" Dora looked to the man.

"Yep." Taylor nodded "She's seventh year Ravenclaw, bless her heart."

"Oh that Kendra of yours is so brave." Ben shook his head.

"I know," Taylor chuckled "must have got it from her mother. Anyway, she was right in the thick of it. Helped get the younger ones that couldn't get out in time to the Slytherin common room, because naturally that seemed to be one of the places those dastardly Death Eaters wouldn't disturb."

"Naturally." Dora agreed, leaning her elbow on the table as she rested her head on her hand feigning great interest and awe at the mans tale.

"Yes well, after she'd done all of that she got right into the battle." Taylor carried on "Passed some right baduns on her journeys, helped pull down that Dolohov character."

"No." Dora feigned a gasp of awe, holding back her internal smirk, she'd always hated that man. It did please her to think of all of them he would be one of the ones dead or as good as on their way to Azkaban prison.

"Yes!" Taylor nodded "Even had to deal with Lestrange!"

"What one?" Dora asked "There are four Lestrange Death Eaters."

" _Was_ four." Ben interjected, not noticing the bristle from the girl beside him.

"Yes." Taylor chuckled yet again "Well anyway, I believe it was the younger couple, the girl with the ridiculous name and her husband—ones in the paper yesterday."

"Nymphadora and Rabastan." Dora muttered, taking a gulp of her butterbeer.

"Yes, those. Well anyway they were about to kill some poor child that hadn't made it down to the dungeons, laughing at the poor little girl apparently. She got them out of the way and took the boy to safety."

Dora gritted her teeth for a moment, taking a deep breath, her and Rabastan _had not_ cornered a child and they definitely did not laugh at some 'poor little girl'. She was far too focused on getting out alive and protecting her family to laugh at anything much at all that day. The smile on her face was definitely more forced this time "A seventeen year old got two fully grown Death Eaters out of the way?"

"Well Kendra is a very smart girl." Ben gave an impressed look at his friend as he continued to drink "Besides, at least we can rest easy now that you-know-who and his crazed servents are good and gone."

"Yes," Taylor nodded "shame about the escaped ones but we can revel in their fallen for once." Taylor laughed to himself as he perked up again "Did you hear how Bellatrix Lestrange died? Killed by Mrs Weasley! A witch like that killed from a ruddy house wife. Poetic justice if you ask me. Bitch didn't have a sane or warm bone in her body, Molly is such a lovely lady, just goes to show you."

"Mmm, I'm sure that woman was cold as ice before they killed her." Ben said.

"That is until they burned the bitch." Taylor laughed.

"W-What?" Dora asked, her fists clenched under the desk as she took all of her concentration to keep her hair blonde and not let it turn the vivid red it so wanted to be.

"Yeah, they burned all the Death Eater's bodies." Ben shrugged "No-one's going to claim those lot, even if they wanted to it would make them look bad."

"Oh . . ." Dora breathed.

"But hey, who cares?" Taylor said "I'll drink to their downfall any day."

"Here here!" Ben grinned, raising his glass "To the ironic and fitting death of Bellatrix Lestrange, may the crazy bitch rot in hell."

The two men clinked glasses, downing the rest of their drinks, jumping in shock as Nymphadora suddenly stood nearly taking the table down with her. "Excuse me." Dora said, grabbing her bags and storming out of the pub to the echo of cheers to the death of her own mother.

The young witch near enough burst through the wards, her hair a wild red and mousey brown as she tripped over some of the old flowerbeds, grabbing onto a tree to keep herself stable. Nymphadora Lestrange didn't stop running until she hit the back door, biting her lip as she tried and failed to calm herself. After a few deep breaths she opened the door, looking around the kitchens until she was satisfied she was alone. She pulled the bag off of her shoulder, snapping her fingers for the elves as she emptied their contents onto the table.

"P—Put it away." Dora stuttered, walking away again as they were bowing in obedience.

"Dora." Andromeda came walking towards her from down the hall "I felt you come in, listen Rabastan is awake. He realised you were gone and demanded that I tell him where you were."

"Okay." Dora breathed, staring at Andromeda for a few moments before she frowned slightly "Where are the children?"

"Delphini and Rigel are taking their morning nap." Andromeda said "Dora what happened? Where you seen—?"

"Nymphadora!" Rabastan came charging down the hall, stopping a foot short of his wife as he grabbed her shoulder "What were you _thinking_? I woke up and you were gone! If we needed more supplies I could have gone—Andromeda could have gone!" Rabastan took a deep breath before he looked her over as if expecting to find some horrific wound from her outing "Why is your hair that colour?"

Nymphadora stared at her husband, as if she could see him though not hear him. She barely noticed as Andromeda came up behind her husband, looking her over before sighed "Dora . . ." Andromeda spoke softly, hesitating for a moment before she looked to Rabastan "She's in delayed shock, Rabastan."

"She . . ." Dora shook her head, trying to find the words "She's dead."

Rabastan sighed, stroking his wife's arm as he explored her face "Dora—"

"She's dead!" Dora cried, voice cracking as the red in her hair faded to entirely mousey brown "She's dead and burnt and gone."

"What?" Andromeda gasped "Bellatrix?"

"Did you know that?" Nymphadora looked to her husband, tears now streaming down her face "Did you know that's what they did? They just get them all together and burn them! Then they sit around the pub and _laugh_ about it!"

"Dora, come on." Rabastan put an arm around her shoulder, guiding her into the sitting room and towards the couch "Calm down."

"No!" she yelled, pulling away from him as she stepped away from the two adults looking at her with deep concern and shock "Did you know Rab, that we apparently cornered some little girl and laughed at her!"

"We didn't—"

"We did! Some seventeen-year-old Ravenclaw got us out of the way apparently!" Dora shrieked, pacing the floor "We were laughing at the child!"

"Dora that did not happen." Rabastan frowned.

"Well that's what people are saying!" Dora yelled, tears streaming down her face and her hair growing wilder by the minute.

"Dora, it doesn't matter what people are saying." Andromeda sighed, folding her arms.

"No!" Dora cried "But it matters to me! People are sitting around downing drinks and cheering to my mothers death and I'm hidden away like some scared rat! I can't do anything! I can't say anything! I can't even sleep at night! For fucks sake I want my _mother_!"

Rabastan and Andromeda stared at the witch in helpless confusion as Nymphadora fell to the floor, leaning against the sofa as she cried hysterically. Rabastan looked to Andromeda for some form of help, though in his eyes the woman looked to be lost in her own little world as she looked to the witch with a glazed over gaze. After a deep breath he walked over to his wife, jumping back as she cried out at his approach, swatting him away. "Dora . . ." he breathed, hesitating again before he slowly leant down to her level and gave her a moment to adjust to his presence before he bent to lift her into his arms. "Shhhh . . ." Rabastan kissed her head as he stood, cradling her in her arms "Come on darling, rest . . ."

"I can't, Rab . . ." Dora mumbled through her tears, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her head into his shirt "I can't . . ."

"It's okay, just shut your eyes, Dora . . ." Rabastan murmered, taking her to their bedroom and laying her on the bed, crawling into bed beside her and pulling her onto his chest "Go to sleep. It's been a long few days . . . Shhh." Rabastan calmed his wife, rocking her gently as he softly stroked her back, kissing her wild mousey brown curls. Once she had eventually cried herself to sleep at least an hour later Rabastan stared at the ceiling, trying not to think of the troubles and trials the family still had ahead of them and what it would do to his young wife's now clearly depleting sanity.


	5. Letting Go

**Another update! Thanks for all the feedback so far! We really enjoy seeing your thoughts on our work and hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoy writing it!**

 **Dora**

* * *

Both Andromeda and Rabastan kept an eye on Nymphadora the next few days, seeing her struggle with her realisation of the loss of her mother. Delphi sensed Nymphadora's distress, though seemed complacent enough in Andromeda's arms. One day as they were caring for the children together, the older witch sighed, setting Delphi in her cot before slipping silently over to Nymphadora, her arm stealing around the girl gently.

"Don't be like her," Dora said numbly. "Stay sane, and safe."

"I'll do my best," Andromeda reassured her with a small surprised laugh. "I just want to be here in case you need me."

"Thanks," Dora sighed as she leaned into the woman's side. "I'm glad Rab allowed you to stay."

Andromeda nodded. "You know your duty to him includes obedience?" she asked quietly.

Nymphadora sighed. "I can't lose you too, Dromeda. I just can't."

"I'm not going anywhere now," Andromeda said softly, hugging her once-daughter. "But if Rabastan gets it into his mind that I have to leave, then I must. And you would have to let go."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Nymphadora frowned at the witch.

"Bellatrix," Andromeda said softly. "You need to let go of her, Dora. Holding on will only hurt you worse, will make everything worse."

"I—I can't," Dora sniffed. "I want her back."

The older witch sighed. "I know. But think of it, Dora. She's at peace now, her mind at ease. Bellatrix deserves a good long rest."

Dora's face fell, even as she nodded. "Yes, but she left me. And Delphi! I know she wouldn't do it on purpose, but...she's still gone!" Tears came to her eyes, but she dashed them away angrily. "She's my mother! Her death shouldn't be a celebration!"

Andromeda nodded, hugging the girl into her side as she sniffed forlornly, forcing herself not to break down again. "I'm sorry," Andromeda murmured. "I can't pretend I understand how it hurts you, but I love you, Nymphadora, and I'm sorry."

"Thanks," Dora whispered, then pulled away from the woman, looking down at her son for a moment before turning and leaving the two babies with Andromeda.

Dora found her husband in the hall near the front doors, staring at a design on the wall and seeming to be thinking of far, far away things. He looked up as she approached, though, and immediately asked, "Dora, what's wrong?"

She went straight to him, relieved as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her head. "I love you," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Just...Mum," Dora sniffed, pressing her face against the man's shirt.

"I hope you mean Bella," Rabastan said. "Though if Andromeda upset you, I might need to have a word with her."

Dora made a small sound of amusement. "No, Rab. I just...I miss my real mother."

Rabastan sighed, kissing the top of her head, and Dora closed her eyes, cringing as she realised something. "No one cares but me," she whispered.

"And I care that you care," Rabastan answered. "Bellatrix loved you, I know that. You're one of the luckiest people in the world, you know."

"Yes," Dora sniffed, half laughing through her few tears."It's just so wrong that _they_ , who are supposed to be Light and good, are celebrating Mum's death! I hate them!"

"Dora..." Rabastan's arms tightened around her slightly "I know. It's always been that way."

"It isn't right!" Dora cried, feeling Rabastan's hand rub her back as he tried to calm her. "Rab..." She clung to him as her tears began to fall, the witch glad for her husband's strong arms around her.

"It isn't right," Rabastan agreed as he held her. "Though nothing will ever be fair for us, Dora. Our families are Death Eaters and so are we, Andromeda no better." He seemed to sigh, then said, "Rodolphus was caught, Dora, to help us escape. And if you think you're the only one that misses Bellatrix...you're not. Rodolphus is suffering right now just as much, probably _more,_ than you are."

Nymphadora's first reaction was to be offended, to refuse to believe Rab, yet she knew it was true. "He... was sent back?" she sniffed. "I'm sorry, Rab."

"I know you feel abandoned," Rabastan sighed, "but think of it: your mother is free now. Her mind is clear. If she were still here, we'd be trying to keep her from plotting against the Ministry how to bring back her Master, and trying to keep her from drawing attention to us."

"Yes," Dora smiled through her tears. "She'd be furious at all of us for not helping her. It's good she didn't know he...he fell."

"She would be heartbroken," Rabastan nodded. "She'd fall to pieces just like she did last time, though—she was slightly less awful to Rodolphus for that little while until she cracked and got us thrown in Azkaban."

"But she was my mother," Nymphadora breathed. "I loved her, though I didn't really even know her for very long."

Rabastan gave her a thoughtful look, then nodded, kissing the girl's forehead. "Perhaps," he said softly, "we could get pictures of Bella...make a memory book. Especially for Delphi, as she won't remember most of this, probably."

Nymphadora nodded, her eyes lighting up slightly. "Rabastan, I love you," she said before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him firmly. "We'll have to do that."

"We'll have to see if Andromeda knows where the Pensieves might be kept," Rabastan said. "Maybe she would have young memories of Bella?"

"Rab," Dora said breathlessly, hugging him tightly. "Thank you."

"Yes, well—" Rabastan shrugged. "I've got to keep you happy. I still want Rigel to have a playmate."

She sputtered, but giggled, leaning up to kiss him again. "We'll see," she said. "Just let everything calm down for a little while first."

Rabastan hugged her close, then said, "Well, just let me know. I'm always willing, you know."

Nymphadora couldn't help giggling more as he placed a hand on her hip, squeezing her meaningfully. "But it's almost lunch," she grinned as he guided her to lean back against the wall.

"Shhh," he mumbled, leaning in to kiss her. "This is the prelude." Dora clung to her husband, the two losing themselves for a few passionate moments.

* * *

Later that evening, they were all in the sitting room together, Nymphadora lying on her back on the floor beside the children. Andromeda had tried to convince the younger witch not to sprawl out on the floor, but to no avail. Dora grinned as Delphi tired of playing by herself and crawled over to her sister, pulling herself to sit next to the witch. "Hi," Dora greeted her with a smile. "What do you want?"

"Mum?" Delphi asked doubtfully, and Dora flinched.

"Baby," Dora bit her lip, "Mumma's gone away."

Delphi looked at her older sister, almost seeming to understand. "No Mum?"

Dora shook her head slightly. "No Mum, Delphi."

The child sighed, then curled into her sister's side on the floor. "Dowa."

"Yes, just Dora," the witch said softly, wrapping an arm around the little girl. "Dora and Rab and Rigel and Andromeda. We're your family."

"And Narcissa," Rabastan added, shrugging. "Though I wouldn't claim the boys..."

Nymphadora giggled in spite of herself, and Delphi looked up curiously. Andromeda looked disapproving, and Dora said, "Come on, M—Andromeda, you've got to understand that."

Andromeda just shook her head, not replying, and Rabastan smirked, about to speak when the older witch jumped to her feet in alarm. Nymphadora was about to ask what was wrong when she felt the disturbance in their wards and Andromeda breathed, "It's Narcissa. I—I'll be somewhere else."

"Wait," Nymphadora began, but Andromeda was already gone from the room. "Take one of the babies," Dora sighed to herself.

"Come on," Rabastan said, helping the witch up from the floor. "Let's go see if it is indeed Lady Malfoy."

"What about Rigel and Delphi?" Dora said softly, glancing at the two children seated on the floor.

"We'll be right back," Rabastan shrugged. "Or you could have a house-elf look after them."

"A house-elf," scoffed Nymphadora. "Look after _my son_?"

Rabastan rolled his eyes at her. "Nymphadora, let's go."

Nymphadora walked forward to join him, drawing her wand as they went straight to the entrance hall. They stepped out of the hall, watching the hooded figure near the door. "It's me, Narcissa," the witch began, pulling her hood down. "A couple weeks ago, you came to my home after the Battle of Hogwarts, took Rigel and Delphini and went on the run."

"Aunt Cissa," Dora sighed, darting forward before Rabastan could stop her. She hugged the witch fiercely, Narcissa taking a step backward as her niece collided into her. "How did you know we were here?"

"I wasn't sure," Narcissa answered, drawing back to look at the younger witch. "Though I knew you'd been chased from Andromeda's home, and that you owned this house. Are you all well?"

"Yes," Dora replied. "The children are sleeping better at night now, though Delphi still cries for Mum..."

Narcissa hesitated, then asked, "Andromeda is here, isn't she?"

Nymphadora nodded after a moment's hesitation. "She's around somewhere."

"It wasn't my idea to bring her along," Rabastan said, and Narcissa held back a smirk.

"I'm sure," the blonde witch said, sighing as she regarded her niece once again. "Don't plan to stay here," she warned the girl. "It might be safe for a while, but this area has sometimes been scanned by the Ministry in the past for various reasons, though it is supposed to be abandoned right now."

"Oh," Dora said in surprise.

"Will you join us in the sitting room?" Rabastan asked the blonde witch. "The children are in there."

Narcissa smiled politely. "I would, but I can't stay. I don't want to draw attention to you," she told the couple. "I might stop by again, though I'm not sure how watched our family will be either. Probably best not for us to contact each other in the meantime. Take care of yourselves."

"You too," Dora murmured as she hugged the witch again.

"Of course," Narcissa said quietly, then added in a barely audible whisper, "Tell Andromeda she doesn't have to avoid me."

"Oh—okay," Nymphadora whispered back, hugging the witch once more gratefully. "Thank you, Narcissa."

The witch gave her a small smile as she drew back, then said goodbye to Rabastan, leaving the manor. Rabastan frowned slightly. "What did she say to you?"

Dora bit her lip. "To tell Andromeda not to avoid her."

"You're joking," Rabastan groaned. "Everyone's gone mad."

"We're all mad here in this house," Nymphadora said, tossing her black hair and smirking at him. "The difference is to what degree."

Rabastan laughed. "Go on. Go find Andromeda, I don't care."

Dora kissed his cheek, then hurried off to grab Delphi and find Andromeda. She found the older witch locked away in her room, staring at the portraits blankly.

"Dromeda," Dora said half teasingly, "I told you to stay sane and not be like Mum."

The witch gave a sad smile, not turning from the wall. "I'm fine."

"Sure you are," Dora sighed. "You didn't have to leave because of Cissa."

"It was for the best," Andromeda said quietly. "I don't want to bring reproach upon her, Dora. And she probably wouldn't be happy to see me with you."

"She told me to tell you that you don't have to avoid her," Dora said softly. "And if she was angry that I wanted you to be here, then I would have a problem with that. But she wants you to stop running."

Andromeda shook her head, and Dora put her arm around the woman. "You're the only sister she has now," she reminded the brown-haired woman. "She doesn't want to lose you again, especially since you're helping keep me and Rab and the children safe."

"I..." Andromeda sighed. "I just seem to always be picking up the pieces of someone's broken heart."

"And no one to pick up your pieces?" Dora frowned at the witch.

"Nymphadora Lestrange, my heart is _not_ broken!" Andromeda said in a huff, crossing her arms and looking away from the young witch. "I hate having to help others deal with their sorrows, and I...don't want to face Narcissa, knowing that she knows what happened to Bella after I left—I know that it was partially my fault—"

"You fell in love," Dora said softly. "I don't blame you."

Andromeda sighed deeply. "I blame myself, though I wouldn't have done anything different."

"I love you," Nymphadora told the witch. "You can't really blame yourself for Bella's problems."

Andromeda smiled weakly. "I know. I just wish it could have been better for her. For all of us."

Delphi looked up at the two, then reached out to Andromeda, who took her, sighing slightly. "She hated me because you got too attached to me," Andromeda told Nymphadora, smoothing back Delphi's silver curls. "And here I go again, with her second child."

"Oh, stop," Dora sighed, hugging the witch as she leant her head against her shoulder. "No one will hate you if Delphi adores you. Rabastan would be grateful, and I...well, it would be good if you were able to influence her. She has so much against her."

"We'll be all right, Dora," Andromeda promised her seriously, straightening up and looking into her eyes. "I will not let anything bad happen to you or your family."

"And I won't let anything bad happen to you," Dora replied, watching Delphi giggle and tug on Andromeda's hair.

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "What do you know? She's just like you."

Nymphadora giggled. "That's why she needs your influence."

The older witch smirked, getting to her feet and saying, "Let's go back to the sitting room. I'm sure Rabastan wouldn't like us to stay closeted away."

Nymphadora smiled, linking her arm with Andromeda's as they left the room together.


	6. Accidental Magic

**Thank you for your continued support, please enjoy the latest chapter :D**

 **Please read, enjoy and please do review if you have a chance! We've already written up to chapter 10 and update on a 'every three reviews or every few days' basis.**

 **Bella**

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Dora was sat in the grounds of Black Manor, staring out at the grand water feature centre piece of the immense grounds as she sat on the cool marble bench. She closed her eyes, her black curled hair moving in the light summer evening breeze as she listened to the faint babbling water in the distance, decidedly ignoring the footsteps coming up behind her. It was only when she felt the presense stop just behind her that Nymphadora decided to speak.

"Evening, Rab." Dora sighed.

"How did you know it was me?" His amused voice sounding in her ear as he climbed the bench to sit next to her.

"The way you walk." Dora smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder as she opened her eyes.

"The _way I walk_?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow before kissing the woman's head "Do I walk funny?"

"No." Dora laughed slightly, taking his hand in her own, tracing small circles in the palm of his hand "But Andromeda never wears flat shoes, I used to sit up at night as a child when I was attempting to sneak down to the kitchens and listen out to the clinking of her heels on the wood."

"She wore heels at night around your house?" Rabastan frowned.

"Yes." Dora sighed in amusement "Could you really imagine Andromeda walking around barefoot—or perhaps in a pair of fluffy slippers?"

"No, I suppose not." Rabastan laughed at the thought.

Nymphadora smiled thoughtfully, looking up at her husband before a slight confused look passed her innocent features "Why are you in dress robes? You look like you're going to a funeral."

Rabastan smirked mischievously, gently manoeuvring Nymphadora off of his shoulder before standing up and holding his hand out to her. She took his hand without question, though with a little confusion. The pair walked back into the manor in silence, up the grand staircase and down the corridor into one of the wings they rarely explored. It was only when she saw the door he was leading to that Nymphadora spoke again, biting her lip for a moment before spluttering out her words "Rab, why are we outside my mother's old room?"

"Well," Rabastan sighed, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as they both stared at the door "Andromeda and I have been speaking—"

" _You two_ have been talking?" Dora raised an eyebrow "Without me to mediate? Merlin, are you okay?"

Rabastan rolled his eyes at his wife's nervous joking, shaking his head " _Andromeda and I have been speaking_ —" he paused to see if Dora had another joke in her before he carried on "we think you need closure."

"Closure?" Dora asked, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Closure." Rabastan nodded, opening the door to the once room of Bellatrix Black.

The room was one of the larger ones of the manor, yet not the largest by far. It was dark, with the walls covered in some swirled black wall paper design, the only colour in the room a deep emerald green in the satin sheets and the odd photographs in matching ornate silver frames of various sizes around the room. Nymphadora took a step into the room, forcing a slight nervous smile at Andromeda Tonks, currently sat on the grand dark oak dressing table stool. She didn't miss the large bottle of fire whiskey and three glasses behind her, though Andromeda did look to be slightly uncomfortable in her once sisters room.

"W—What are we doing in here?" Dora asked, walking over to the nightstand and frowning at the small silver rattle on the side. Clearly it was one of the few objects that Bellatrix did not depart with when she gave over Nymphadora as a baby and left for Lestrange Manor. "Why does this room look untouched? Mum prepared the manor, most of the bedrooms are either empty or— _clean_."

"She wouldn't have touched this room." Andromeda shook her head "Too many memories I suppose—Narcissa's room isn't touched either."

Dora nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed as she ripped her gaze from the old rattle. She dared not ask Andromeda if her old room had been touched or not, though from the aversion of her gaze from the younger witch she knew Andromeda could tell she wanted to know.

"So," Rabastan sighed, walking over to Andromeda and reaching straight for the fire whiskey "I vote we drink, retell old stories—Andromeda found the book of old pictures of your mother. We can give her her own funeral, a celebration and remembrance of her life between us."

Dora smiled sadly "That sounds nice. Thank you."

Rabastan shrugged nonchalantly, handing Dora a glass of fire whiskey, sipping at his own whilst Andromeda merely swirled the amber liquid around her glass "Anything for you, mon amour."

A few hours and three quarters of a bottle of fire whiskey later (ninety percent of which had been consumed by Rabastan and Dora alone). Dora was laid back on her mothers old bed, giggling at her husband who was currently laid back on the bed with her as she rested her shoulder on his chest. Andromeda had moved over to the window seat, taking a small sip of her drink as she watched the drunken pair of adults before her.

"I remember," Dora giggled, "when we were both pregnant and ended up in the kitchens together at 2 in the morning. She almost killed a house elf when he told her there weren't any chocolate frogs in the manor—actually tried to convince me to go get some until I reminded her of the time, she didn't see the whole wanted criminal thing as an issue because I could 'morph into some old hag'—a pregnant old hag seemed very reasonable. I was far too distracted trying to eat an entire pot of raspberry jam to care too much, I was rather upset when she decided that was what she was craving next and I had to settle for strawberry."

Rabastan burst into laughter, downing the rest of his fire whiskey "Wait, is that why you spent nearly a week muttering about raspberries in your sleep?"

"Maybe." Dora giggled.

"Why didn't you just give her chocolate?" Andromeda frowned.

"Because they didn't move." Dora sighed "She found enjoyment in moving foods."

"Of course she did." Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"Oh Bella," Rabastan chuckled, reaching across his wife and taking her fire whiskey glass, ignoring the pout on his wife's face "that bitch was crazy—and I call her a bitch in a loving way, I knew she took it as a complement since I first called her one when I was 14 and when I thought she was going to crucio me she simply said 'thank you' and walked away."

"She—" Dora giggled "She was funny." The witch nodded her head, placing her hand firmly on her chest as she leant over and grabbed her glass back with her teeth, downing the last of it with a giggle before she dropped the glass on the bed and fell back in laughter as whiskey dribbled down her chin "Dromeda! Andy! Andy Pandy! Drommie—"

Andromeda shook her head in amused disapproval "Andromeda or Dromeda, Dora."

"You've been told, Nymphie." Rabastan giggled.

" _Dromeda_ ," Dora giggled as she hit Rab playfully "pass the fire whiskey."

"No." Andromeda sighed.

" _Why_?" Dora whined.

"Because you drank it all."

"Ooops!" Rab laughed as Dora sat up on the bed "Where you going?"

"Rigel." Dora pulled herself to her feet "Delphi . . . My son and my sister. Lot's of s's there . . . Need to check on them."

"No you don't." Andromeda said "You two have had far too much to drink, you stay. I'll go."

Rabastan frowned, considering the woman for a moment before he nodded. Dora grinned drunkenly again, watching her leave them room for a few moments before with a deep sigh she went over to her mother's old dresser. She looked over the old trinkets, the silver engraved jewellery box, the abandoned empty bottle of fire whiskey. As a hand rested on her shoulder, her husbands lazy head soon joining it as he pressed a sloppy kiss on her cheek enticing a small giggle out of her.

"I love you, Rab." Dora smiled, leaning back into the man.

"You beat me to saying it." Rab sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her backwards towards the bed again.

"Rab!" Dora laughed "I'm not having sex with you in here."

"I knooow that." Rab breathed, laying back on the bed and pulling his wife on top of her and holding her close. He stroked her back and kissed her hair "Just lay here."

Dora snuggled in closer to her husband, playing with the buttons of his robes as she mumbled "Rab . . ."

"Yus?" Rab smiled contentedly before he looked down at his wife.

Dora reached up, stroking the stubble on her husbands face for a few moments before she pressed a soft kiss to his lips, smiling slightly as she whispered "Thank you." She stared into his dark eyes, a contended smile on her face as she nuzzled her head into his neck, each of them falling asleep in the old bedroom of Bellatrix Black.

* * *

Nymphadora Lestrange sat in what was now the play room of Black Manor, sat in the pile of pillows she had assembled in the corner as she flicked through an old photo album she had found days previously. She had been waiting for both Rabastan and Andromeda to be preoccupied with something before she had looked through the old book. It wasn't as if she wanted to hide the fact that she had such an item, though she didn't want Andromeda to be upset if she saw some of the pictures in there and Rabastan . . . well she simply wanted to see these before she had to go ask Rabastan who all the people she didn't recognise in the small moving pictures were. A small smile tugged at the corner of Dora's mouth as she watched a ten year old Bellatrix Black sitting on the fountain in the gardens, a book in her lap as she looked at the camera with disdain.

"Dora?" the witch looked to the now nearly 3 year old Delphini looking to her sister, her silver hair flowing down past her shoulders in a way far too perfect for a child of her age, all held in place by a single emerald green pin. "What you doing?" Delphi asked, resting her hand on her sisters knee as she tried to see what she was looking at.

"Just pictures, Delphi." Dora said, sitting up slightly as the girl ran round to her side.

"What pictures?" Delphi frowned.

"Umm—" Dora hesitated for a moment before she breathed "pictures of my— _our_ family."

"Oh." Delphi tilted her head slightly.

"Mummy!" Rigel called from the other side of the room, grinning broadly when Dora looked up to him "Look!" he pointed to a pile of bricks, nearly twice his height, with a sense of triumph.

"Well done, Rigel." Dora smiled "Very—Delphi!"

"Whaaat?" Delphini whined.

"Don't snatch." Dora scolded, pulling her photo album back from the little girls grip.

"Why?" Delphi imitated her sisters tone "My family book."

"Our family Delphi," Dora sighed, batting the girls hands away as she turned the page and pointed at a picture of the girls all in Slytherin uniforms "there's Auntie Cissy—you probably don't remember her but she's fun—then there's Andromeda in the middle, she doesn't look very happy but I think that's about the time she met Ted, then there's mummy. _Our_ mummy."

"Mummy?" Delphi asked, looking to the picture curiously as Dora nodded, waiting a moment before she flipped to the back of the book, lose in the back page was a worn photograph of Bellatrix Black, a pink haired one-year-old sat giggling in her lap as Bella hugged her tightly "That's me and mummy."

Delphi looked at the photograph curiously for a few moments before she reached out and picked it up, looking at the pair. She pressed her finger to the one-year-old, giggling slightly as both occupants of the image looked up to the curious little girl. "My mummy?"

"Yes . . ." Dora nodded, watching the photograph carefully "my mummy and your mummy." She chewed her lip for a moment, flipping through the book until she found a photograph of just Bellatrix, sitting at Grimmauld Place with a glass of wine in her hand, from the looks of it it must have been just before she conceived Nymphadora. "Here." Dora held the picture out for Delphi, letting her take it "You can keep that one, can I have mine back now please?"

"Mine?" Delphi asked as she took the picture, waiting for Dora's nod before she looked at the other picture "This mine too."

"Delphi no, that's mine." Dora reached out for the picture, managing to grasp the corner of it before Delphi tried to pull it away "Delphi don't rip it, be careful."

"It's mine!" Delphi yelled, causing Rigel to yelp in shock as he knocked over his tower.

"No—Delphi!" Dora groaned as she stood up from her comfortable seat as her sister ran away from her, running behind the rocking horse and throwing a small plastic hall and laughing in delight as Dora stopped herself from falling flat on her face at the last second. "Delphi!" Dora panted, stopping as she put one hand on her hip, the other hand warningly pointing a finger at her "Don't you make me use magic, missy!"

"Don't you make _me_ use magic!" Delphi screamed at her sister.

"Mummy . . ." Rigel whimpered, shuffling back to sit against the wall as he put his hands on his ears.

"Hey, it's okay Rigel." Dora comforted Rigel before she looked right back at Delphi "Delphini Riddle, you put my picture down and behave right now or you will be going to bed with no dinner—or I'll put a sleeping charm on you and you can go to bed right now!"

"No!" Delphi screamed, her hair shooting bright red as in a flash of rage fire came shooting towards her older sister. Luckily Dora reacted quickly, shielding herself from the flame only to look back at the girl now stood around burning furniture with a look of horror on her face. Dora looked to her cowering son, flicking her wrist as she opened to door.

"Rigel get Daddy!" Dora yelled, barely waiting to see the boy shoot out like a shot before with a deep breath she ran over to Delphi. Dora yelled in pain as she ran through the flames, grabbing Delphi in a one armed embrace as she yelled a spell at the flames to make them disappear though as the girl continued to scream Dora hissed at the dark magic radiating off of her. The elder witches hair went white, gritting her teeth in pain as she still tried to rock, shush and comfort the small girl into calming down.

"Dora!" Nymphadora barely registered the yell of concern, though she gasped in relief as the pain stopped along with the cries of her sister. The weight was lifted off of her as Dora slowly opened her eyes to see Andromeda cradling the small girl, Rabastan soon dropping to her side as he took her cheek in his hand.

"Where's Rigel?" Dora asked, looking up to Rabastan.

"He's fine," Rab snapped, lifting his wife into his arms on her lap as he looked her over for wounds "your dress is singed!"

"I'm fine, Rab." Dora winced as she sat up "What did Dromeda do to Delphi?"

"She just put her to sleep." Rab shook his head, drawing his wand and waving it over her body "Fuck. Dora, she cursed you."

"Ha!" Dora winced "I got cursed by a fucking three year old."

"She's dangerous." Rabastan shook his head "We need to keep her away from Rigel, that is too dangerous for her first accidental magic. . ."

"No." Dora shook her head, taking Rab's hand in her own as she kissed his knuckles "We just need to train her. Come on, help me fix the room."

Dora held back another wince as she pulled herself to her feet, ignoring her husband's disapproving glance as he waved his wand at the burnt rocking chair. Dora looked to the floor where Delphi had stood, biting her lip as she saw the singed photographs at her feet. She hesitantly bent to the floor, reaching out as her hand hovered over the two pieces of paper, her eyes closing for a moment and expelling a deep breath before she picked them up. She slowly turned over the pictures, barely noticing the tear of relief that fell from her eyes when she noticed the pictures themselves were unharmed, only singed slightly on the border. She tucked the photographs into her pocket, summoning the photo album and putting it out of the way before she got to helping a disgruntled muttering Rabastan fix the play room. Merlin, it was not easy to raise the child of The Dark Lord.


	7. Green

**I enjoyed writing this chapter, as I had lots of opportunity to write Delphi as a character. Learning who she is has been a challenge for me as a writer. Do enjoy!**

 **Dora**

* * *

Andromeda sighed as she took Delphi from the room as Rab and Dora fixed what the child had burnt. Entering her room, she lay the toddler on the bed and carefully warded the room before taking the Sleeping spell off her and stepping back. She watched as the little girl stirred, then sat up, taking in her surroundings as she sniffed, looking around.

"Where's Dora?" Delphi asked the witch leaning against the wall. "What happened?"

"You hurt your sister," Andromeda answered, not moving her gaze from the child. "Rabastan is helping her fix the room you destroyed."

Delphi climbed down off her aunt's bed, going to the door and trying to leave before turning to the woman in rage. "Let me out!"

Andromeda shook her head. "We need to talk, Delphi."

"I won't," the girl said angrily. "Leave me alone."

"Not even about your first magic?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Because that's what hurt your sister."

"I told her I would," Delphi said haughtily, tossing her still red curls.

Andromeda sighed. "Your hair is red," she said to the girl, who glared back at her.

"I don't care," Delphi snapped, throwing herself onto the floor before the door.

"You should," Andromeda replied. "That is not one of our colours, Delphi. And get off the floor: we do not throw angry fits."

Delphi pouted, then got to her feet, crossing her arms and looking up at the witch. "She took Mum," she complained in a quiet voice.

Andromeda frowned slightly. "Who took what?"

"Dora," Delphi sniffed, her hair slowly fading back into silver. "Dora took the picture of Mummy away from me."

"There are many pictures of your mother," Andromeda said softly. "We can get you pictures; there are lots of them in the house.

"But...it was of Mummy and me," Delphi said, looking up at the witch.

Andromeda tentatively walked across the room, then leaned down and took the child into her arms, kissing her silver-haired head. "I'll get you one just like it," she promised. "Be patient with Aunt Dromeda, okay?"

Delphi looked at her for a moment, then nodded, winding her arms around the witch's neck. "Is Dora okay?"

"I believe so," Andromeda replied. "We can go see her—"

"No," Delphi said quickly. "No Rab."

Andromeda looked at the child for a moment, realising the girl had learned that Rabastan did not like her at all. "Later, then," Andromeda promised, hugging the girl close. "It'll be okay."

Delphi nodded, then lay her head against the witch's shoulder. "Okay."

Andromeda sighed as she held the little girl close. It would soon be time to teach Delphi how to better control her magic so accidents wouldn't happen.

* * *

Rigel shouted with laughter as he rushed down the hall after four year old Delphini. They had just set up blocks in the doorway of the playroom so that whoever entered the room would trip over them. "Delphi, slow down!" he called after her. It confused him that she could wear a dress and still run faster than him.

"Come oooon," Delphi sang back to him. "You're slow!"

"You're too fast," Rigel retorted as he caught up with her. "Where are you going, anyway?"

"I'm hungry," Delphi said decisively. "And there's food in the kitchens. Now. Are you going to stay with me or not?"

Rigel nodded, hurrying along with her as she darted off again. They arrived at the door, out of breath, and the almost four-year old frowned. "Can you reach the handle?"

Delphi smirked, raising her right hand, and seconds later, the door clicked open. "I don't have to. Dromeda is teaching me to use _magic_."

Rigel frowned, looking down at his hands. "Why won't she teach me?"

"First magic," giggled the girl, marching into the kitchen. "You have to show her you can."

"Oh." Rigel shook his head at her words, then jumped in surprise at they were approached by the most curious creature.

Delphi told it specifically what she wanted, then turned to her companion only to gape in shock. "R—Rigel," she giggled, "you should look in the mirror. You—" she giggled again, and Rigel was confused.

The house elf soon returned with Delphi's requested food, and she dismissed it, still laughing at Rigel, though he didn't know for the life of him what she meant—he raised his hand to brush his hair out of his eyes and yelled in surprise.

Rigel saw the skin of his arm was a greyish green, and looked up at Delphi. "What—what did I do?"

"You turned yourself green," she giggled, doubling over with laughter. "Rigel, that's not a good look. Doesn't go with your hair."

"Stop," he protested. "I didn't mean to—how do I change it back?"

"Ask your mother," Delphi smirked at him. "Or Dromeda. But I think you should keep it for a little bit: I'm not used to it yet."

"Delphini!" the boy spluttered in annoyance.

"I'm Delphi," she glared at him sternly, though she couldn't help laughing at his ridiculous appearance again. "You should always look like that. I'd never be sad again."

He yelled in fury, shocking himself as one of the glasses on the table shattered. He turned to ask Delphi if she'd seen it only to see her getting up off the floor, her hair bright red, a look of fury in her four-year-old eyes. "I—I didn't mean to," he said hesitantly, then took off for the door, running down the hall as he yelled for his mother.

"What's going on?" came the voice of his father, the older wizard shouting in horror upon seeing his son. "What happened to you? Dora, come here! Rigel—" he grasped the boy in his arms, rushing through the hall to find Dora talking with Andromeda in the sitting room.

"What?" Dora asked, looking up, her mouth falling open at the sight of her green-skinned child. "Rigel—oh dear Merlin."

Andromeda stared for only a second before falling against the back of her chair, laughing helplessly at the image of the green Lestrange heir. Rabastan set the child down on his mother's lap. "Fix him."

Nymphadora bit her lip as Rigel grasped onto her. "Mum, Delphi was making fun of me," he complained. "I don't know how to change back! I didn't mean to—and then I knocked her down, and she was going to hurt me!"

Delphi slipped into the room silently, watching the others until Andromeda saw her and motioned her to come over. She hurried across the room to claim her spot on her aunt's lap. "He saw a house elf and turned himself green," she whispered to the older witch. "He looks funny."

"Shhh, Delphi," Andromeda said, trying to make herself stop laughing, though she couldn't help grinning at the boy and his parents.

"Dromeda, what do I do?" Nymphadora asked, biting her lip. "I never did this, did I?"

"You did," Andromeda sighed. "You decided that you wanted to have purple skin, and I didn't let you leave the house for a whole month. You knew better, though; you were seven or eight."

"Can't you turn him back, or something?" Rabastan asked the two witches urgently, looking at his son seeming to cause him pain.

Andromeda giggled again, sitting up with Delphi on her lap. "Well, you can change him back, Dora," she told the black-haired witch, "or he can decide he wants to be normal again and do it himself."

Rigel sniffed against his mother's robe. "I can't," he mumbled, clinging to her.

"Of course you can't," Delphi scoffed at him from the safety of Andromeda's lap. "You're too stupid."

"Delphini, do not talk to him like that," Andromeda said to her distantly. "You had to be taught certain things as well."

"I did magic," Rigel said defiantly.

Rabastan looked down at the boy. "You did magic?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "I broke a glass—and knocked Delphi down."

"Then you can definitely morph back to yourself," Andromeda said firmly. "I will not do it for you."

"So how do we teach him to do it, then?" Nymphadora asked the witch.

"He has to decide he wants to change, and use his magic to do it," Andromeda answered, Delphi nodding knowingly. "Even if it takes him a few days."

Rabastan groaned, turning away from all of them, and Rigel said, "Dad, I didn't mean to!"

Nymphadora hugged her son. "We know," she told him. "But you heard Andromeda. You'll have to change yourself back."

"But—" Rigel stopped, hiding his face in his mother's dress. He clung to her for a few moments, then looked up at her. "Did I do it?"

"Yes," Dora sighed, stroking the boy's hair back from his face, "though your hair is green instead, now."

"I liked it better the other way," Delphi pretended to pout, and Rigel looked up to glare at her.

"Then you try it!" he snapped before looking around the room. "Where's Dad?"

"Dad...left," Dora sighed, shaking her head slightly. "He...he didn't like the green."

Rigel looked sad, then clung to his mother. "I'm not green," he sniffed. "It wasn't my fault."

Dora kissed his hair. "I know," she murmured. "It's okay."

"This means that you get to join Delphi in learning the basics of magic," Andromeda smiled at the child.

"Did Mum really have purple skin once?" Rigel asked.

"Yes," Andromeda smirked. "And reminded me: I'll get you a picture of it."

"Yay!" cheered Rigel, and Delphi grinned at him, but only for an instant before they heard a crash from down the hall.

The two children stared at each other for an instant before shrieking with laughter as they heard Rabastan yell, "Who put these blocks here?"

* * *

Nymphadora sighed as her husband paced their room. "Rabastan, he morphed it away just fine. And you should be happy that he's done his first magic!"

"He had green skin, Nymphadora. Green skin!" Rabastan turned to her, shaking his head. "What will he accidentally morph to next?"

"Whatever he does," Nymphadora said firmly, "Andromeda will be able to help us make right if he can't fix it himself. She is a Metamorphmagus, and she raised me, so she's had lots of practise. She's fixed me many times when I morphed something out of control. I was a very experimenting child."

"Great," Rabastan groaned, and his wife smiled slightly, stepping forward and slipping her arms around him after a moment.

"He'll be fine," she told him, leaning up and kissing him firmly. "Experimenting with our powers is fun. Want to see?"

Rabastan frowned at her until he felt her morph under the hand he had on her hip. His eyes widened, and she threw him a filthy smirk. "Dora," he said, stopping her from pulling him to their bed, "only do what you want, okay?"

Nymphadora rolled her eyes, ripping his shirt off him. "Don't I always?"

He pushed her onto the bed, crawling over her, and she giggled as he fondled her body, tearing her dress in his effort to get it off her. "Dora," he groaned, and she pulled him back to herself, kissing him deeply.

She lay back for a few moments, her eyes closed as he explored her new form, then grinned up at him. "I know what to do with it too," she whispered before moving quickly, suddenly smirking down at her husband lying on his back beneath her. "Trust me: learning this young comes in handy."

Rabastan didn't reply, watching the witch in admiration as she took control, his beautiful wife on display for him to enjoy.

* * *

Andromeda was lying in bed, thinking about the two children when she heard her door creak open and quickly sat up, reaching for her wand. "Who's there?" she said in a dangerous tone.

"Dromeda," came the whisper of her younger niece.

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed in relief, opening her arms to the girl. "Come here." The little girl climbed up on the bed, quickly snuggling into the older witch's arms. "Is something wrong, petal?" Andromeda asked, hugging the child.

The girl was silent for a while as Andromeda sat there, holding her securely in her arms. "Dromeda," she said finally, "will you teach me to morph like you and Dora?"

Andromeda smiled slightly. "I can't teach you how to morph, but I can teach you to refine your powers," she answered.

The four year old turned to look up at the witch, pouting. "I don't know how," she said, grabbing Andromeda by the hand. "I want you to help me. Do it to me so that I know how it feels."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed, and the girl shot her a glare.

"Do it!" Delphi demanded.

"Delphini," Andromeda said sharply, "do not use that tone on me or you will be very, very sorry."

The little girl's expression didn't go away as she gripped onto Andromeda's nightdress firmly. "Please," she said, looking into the woman's face. "Please?"

Andromeda sighed again, then reached out, placing her hand on the child's shoulder. "Okay," she agreed, then closed her eyes, reaching for the girl's tender magic. She stopped for a moment, feeling the child's magic reject the intrusion, though Delphi took a deep breath and seemed to force herself to stay still. Andromeda decided what to do and willed the child to change form.

When the older witch opened her eyes, she smiled wryly to see the blonde child before her. "Look," Andromeda motioned to the mirror as she lit her wand, unwilling to turn on the light in the room. "What do you think?"

Delphi looked over at the mirror, reaching up to tug on her hair, then looked down, realising she was taller. "It's weird," she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Dromeda, it doesn't feel right."

Andromeda sighed deeply, the child's magic having confirmed some of her worries. She didn't want to break the child's heart by telling her she would never be able to morph in all the ways that Dora and Rigel could, for Delphi simply did not have those Metamorphmagus powers, but she couldn't lie to her. "It isn't natural?" Andromeda said quietly, then nodded. "Delphi...I don't think you can morph your whole body on your own."

"No," Delphi said firmly. "I—"

"Delphi, I love you and I wish that I could say differently," Andromeda stopped the girl, "but when I touched your magic, I understood it. You are a slight Metamorphmagus: you do not have full powers."

"No," Delphi said again. "Dromeda, do it again so I can feel it."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed, shaking her head, though she complied, the girl soon the version of Dora at four years old. It wasn't until four different morphs later that Delphi looked to the witch, a strange expression on her face. "I promise," Andromeda said quietly to her niece, "I promise that I love you just as much as any of the rest of my family, no matter your powers, no matter what you can do to your face or your body. Do you understand?"

The four year old melted into the woman's arms, shaking slightly as she sniffed back tears. "Why?" the child whispered, and Andromeda hugged her tightly, kissing her head.

"You will find that you have other abilities," Andromeda whispered. "Ones that none of the rest of us have. You are a very special child, Delphini Riddle."

"What if they're mean to me about it?" Delphi sniffed, looking up to the witch again. "Rigel will be mean."

"Then you will have to find out ways to keep him from bragging," Andromeda said with a small smirk. "Though if you curse or injure him in any way, I will not be pleased."

"Yes," the girl giggled before saying, "Change me back. I want to be Delphi again."

Andromeda complied, stroking the girl's silver hair back from her face and saying, "Are you better now?"

Delphi nodded, continuing to hold to the brown-haired woman as she sighed, leaning her head against the witch's shoulder. Andromeda hugged the child again before lying down again, pulling the blanket up as Delphi yawned. "Good night, beautiful," she murmured, and Delphi sighed, "Good night" in reply.

Andromeda was relieved when the little girl fell asleep, thankful that revealing such news to Delphi hadn't resulted in Curses flying.


	8. News

**So in case you haven't noticed already me and Dora have another new story now! It's called Valley of the Shadow and is based on the third Cursed Child timeline, so the basis that Voldemort won, but Bella, Remus and Dora are alive. I know a couple of you asked what we were doing apart from this so there you go, that's what we've been doing. Please do go and take a look and let us know what you think!**

 **For now, please read, enjoy and please do review this chapter!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Rabastan Lestrange had been in the study of Black Manor when the paper had been brought to him. The room itself had been self claimed as his own study, mostly due to the fact that Andromeda near enough refused to go into the room and Nymphadora did not seem to want to enter the room much more than she did. Therefore, the room that was supposed to be owned by the head of the Black house hold had fell to the Lestrange. It was still early, when he had left his room his wife had been happily sleeping, he had poked his head into the room of his now six-year-old son to see he was happily snoozing spread eagled on the bottom of his large double bed.

So, naturally, after he had been in the study for merely a minute the elf had sought the only awake member of the Head of House's family to deliver the paper to. Rabastan dismissed the elf with a wave of his hand, sighing to himself as he leant back in the grand leather chair simultaneously pulling the paper from the desk.

"Let's see what idiocy the Wizarding World has succumbed to today, shall we?" Rabastan muttered to himself as he unfolded the paper. He froze. "What the . . ." the man leant forward on his chair, flattening the paper on the desk as he frantically read the headline.

 _RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE ON THE LOOSE_

 _Shortly after the six year anniversary of The Battle of Hogwarts and the imprisonment and death of many notorious Death Eaters, the once greatly feared followers of Lord Voldemort, one Rodolphus Lestrange has escaped Azkaban prison. It was in the early hours of this morning, April 15th 2004, that The Ministry of Magic was alerted to the missing inmate. Though there is currently no official word on how the Death Eater has managed his escape this reporter, and many others I'm sure, put Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt's decision of removing Dementors to the once secure fortress into question yet again._

 _It is suspected that Rodolphus Lestrange will soon try to reunite with his still wanted and highly dangerous family members, brother Rabastan Lestrange and Nymphadora Lestrange, sister-in-law and daughter of the notorious and late wife of the escaped, Bellatrix Lestrange. The pair were last seen by Ministry officials at the home of Andromeda Tonks mere days after the great battle many years ago where each Auror involved in their attempted recapture sadly lost their lives. The trio are considered to be highly dangerous criminals, though mystery still surrounds both their whereabouts along with the mysterious identity of the two children they took with them. Though Rabastan and Nymphadora Lestrange have one child registered to their names within the ministry's records the identity of the second child, seen in memories retrieved from those that tried to capture them, is still unknown. Though there have been many speculations as to the child's identity no unanimous evidence has been obtained._

 _When asked for comment on the escape and the question of the integrity of Azkaban as a secure detention facility one Harry Potter, head of the Auror Office and once dubbed 'Chosen One' had only the following to say "Azkaban Prison is still the securest way to keep these dangerous criminals under our watch, what happened in this case was an unfortunate event that will not repeat itself. I have great faith in the skill of my team to recapture this criminal." Though after questions of the skill of the department was brought into question as to why there are still two high profile Death Eaters and their murderous accomplice on the run Mr Potter soon seemed to find excuses to 'return to his very important work'._

 _It is thought that the continued search for Nymphadora and Rabastan Lestrange along with Andromeda Tonks will increase in severity along with a reinstated watch on Malfoy Manor as Rodolphus Lestrange is sure to turn back to his accomplices or else try to return to the once head quarters of Death Eater activity to wreak havoc on the Wizarding World yet again._

 _As the Wizarding World is on high alert for the recapture of the dangerous criminal, and the hopeful capture of all those Death Eaters that have yet to be rightfully captured and punished for their crimes, this reporter is losing faith in the ability of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to truly keep us all safe._

"Rodolphus . . ." Rabastan breathed, staring at the photographs on the front page. A photograph clearly taken on Rod's arrival to Azkaban the last time, holding his prison number with a look of defeated anger in his eyes, wounds from the battle still on his features along side a photograph of one Harry Potter looking highly uncomfortable in the presence of reporters. He read the article again, then once more, then a third time. It was only once he had stared at the page for a further five minutes that the reality of the situation fully formed in his mind.

Rabastan Lestrange laughed, loudly and arguably less sanely than usual as he jumped to his feet. He almost knocked over his chair as he ran down the corridors, ignoring the tired face of a seven-year-old girl poking her head out of her door in confusion as he darted past her and towards his own room. He near enough wrenched the door off of the frame, grinning at his stirring wife as he jumped to the bed.

"Rab . . ." Dora groaned, frowning in confusion as the man excitedly kissed her firmly on the lips before brushing her hair out of her face.

"Morning Dora." Rabastan laughed, dropping the paper onto the woman's lap " _Beautiful_ morning."

"What?" Dora mumbled, kissing him back lazily before she winced at her husband pulling her to sit up "Rab I'm tired, I don't feel well—" she froze as she saw the paper on her lap, Rodolphus Lestrange staring back at her "Wha—?"

"Read it." Rabastan grinned, kissing her cheek firmly before he watched her eyes scan the page until she had finished reading.

"I—" Dora shook her head in amazement "I'm impressed, I suppose." The woman sighed as she got up from her bed, grabbing her dressing gown as she tied it around herself.

"You _suppose_?" Rabastan scoffed "Dora it's bloody brilliant!"

"Yes . . ." Dora sighed "Let me show Andromeda." The girl looked to the clock on the chest of draws before she opened the door to their room, simultaneously summoning the paper to her hands "Come on, she'll be in the dining room at this time."

"Dora—" Rabastan started before Dora turned and kissed him firmly on the lips.

"You're excited, I get it," Dora gave a strained smile as she looked into her husbands eyes, letting the man wrap his arms around her waist "but this puts us in danger too. You can see that, right?" she sighed as Rabastan eventually gave a hesitant nod "Right. So we need to talk this through, I don't like repeating myself and I'm sure Dromeda can help so let's talk this through with her there too, okay?"

Rabastan narrowed his eyebrows at the woman, taking in her sweet face silently asking for him to understand her wish. It was a deep sigh he let out a nod, the grin returning to his face as the woman pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before taking his hand in her own as he released his embrace around her and allowed her to take her out of the room.

"Sh—Sugar." Dora winced as she literally bumped into Delphini stood outside of her door.

"Rodolphus escaped?" Delphi asked "Isn't that Mum's husband?"

"Merlin, Delphi." Dora sighed as she shook her head, walking towards the dining room "Don't eavesdrop, it's rude!"

"Hey!" Delphi pouted, running after the pair "Answer me!"

"Yes, Delphi." Dora answered as Delphi sped to keep up with the pair "Rod is Rab's brother and Mum's husband."

"Oh." Delphi remarked "How did he get out? Is he coming here? How come he got locked up and not you? Why—"

" _Delphi_." Rabastan snapped, enticing a glare out of the child "Stop it."

"Rab." Dora sighed, opening the door to the dining room as she let go of Rabastan's hand, letting him go in ahead of her before she turned to the child "Delphi, why don't you go get dressed then I'll come and find you once we've talked to Dromeda?"

"No." Delphini crossed her arms "I want to know what's going on."

"I—"

"Dora?" Andromeda called from the dining room.

"Delphi," Dora sighed "go get dressed, you can go wake up Rigel if you want. I promise I'll explain everything once I've talked to Rab and Dromeda about it, okay?"

Delphi narrowed her eyes at the girl, a look of annoyance that looked far too mature for the seven-year-old on her small features. It was only once Rabastan called for his wife, annoyance in his voice that Delphini finally moved "Promise?"

"Promise." Dora nodded, smiling slightly as she watched the child walk towards her room before going into the dining room.

Andromeda was sat at the table, a disregarded half eaten piece of toast in front of her as she sipped from her mug of coffee with a look of curiosity to the paper in the woman's hand. Without a word Nymphadora closed the door, throwing the paper to the table in front of the witch before she sat opposite her. She watched Andromeda read for a moment before she turned her gaze to her now pacing husband.

"Rab sit down, you're making me feel ill." Dora groaned, ignoring the knowing glance of Andromeda before the elder witch returned her gaze to the paper.

"Well . . ." Andromeda sighed, looking up to Nymphadora and then Rabastan as she put the paper down "this is certainly interesting."

"We'll need to reinforce the wards on the place, I know we do it regularly enough anyway but still." Dora sighed.

"Yes, I agree." Andromeda nodded.

"Right," Rabastan nodded "you get to work on that, I'll get to work on getting Rod."

"Wait—What?" Dora frowned, looking to the man and groaning in annoyance as she reached out and stopped him pacing, pulling him to the seat beside her "You can't, Rab."

"What do you mean I _can't_?" Rabastan said.

"I—Well—" Dora spluttered, trying to put her thoughts into words.

"It's too dangerous, Rabastan." Andromeda spoke surprisingly gently to the man "They will up the ante in their search for us, if anything we should be keeping our heads lower than usual rather than going out trying to find Rodolphus. It's highly likely he'll soon be caught anyway, he's on his own."

"I will not let him be on his own!" Rabastan snapped, standing up again as his wife winced and averted her gaze from him.

"How do you expect to find him, Rabastan?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the man.

"He is my _brother_." Rabastan growled.

"And you are a father and a husband with other responsibilities, how do you expect to find him whilst keeping them protected from prowling Aurors?" Andromeda hissed, standing from her seat as she glared at the man.

"Nymphadora is more than capable of defeating Aurors and protecting the children!" Rabastan snapped "So, for the matter, are you together!"

"You're being selfish and irresponsible." Andromeda snapped.

"No, you just don't want me to get Rodolphus back." Rabastan glared "You can't face the idea of having to deal with him, you're the one being selfish here! I know where he will be, we agreed before the final battle—a meeting point if we got separated. I need to check there."

"You'll risk yourself, you'll risk your family and your ability to support them for the slightest chance that he may or may not be there? You agreed this years ago, what makes you think he'll remember?" Andromeda asked.

"He'll remember." Rabastan hissed before looking to his wife "You can hold the fort whilst I'm gone, can't you?"

"I—" Dora chewed her lip "I don't like the idea of you going away."

"Why?" Rabastan frowned "You've gone before looking for supplies, why can't I?"

"Because I morph . . ." Dora sighed.

"Right . . . So morph, you go." Rabastan grinned, sitting next to his wife "I'll tell you where to go, you'll be fine Dora I promise. Just scout the place out and come straight back, okay?"

"I—"

"She's not going, Rabastan." Andromeda stated matter of factly.

"Well, I'll go with her, you can stay and look after the children." Rabastan shrugged "You morph, I'll use a disillusionment charm to conceal myself whilst you check the area out—"

"No, Rabastan." Andromeda said.

"Do not tell me what to do and what not to do!" Rabastan hissed "Nymphadora can speak for herself, can't you Dora?"

Rabastan looked to his wife, his features of frustration and annoyance fading slightly as he looked to his wife staring down at the table in front of her as if it held the deepest darkest secrets of life. She twidled her hands in front of her as she looked up to the knowing face of Andromeda Tonks for a moment before avoiding her gaze.

"You didn't talk to him last night, did you?" Andromeda sighed.

"Talk to me?" Rabastan frowned "About what?"

"I was going to, but you were asleep and I—I didn't want to disturb you." Dora sighed before looking away from Andromeda again and back to her hands nervously twisting in her lap "I was going to tell you today."

"Tell me what, Dora?" Rabastan sighed in frustration "What's happened? What's wrong? Why can't we go find Rodolphus, Nymphadora? I _will_ find him whether you want me to or not."

"I—" Dora sighed heavily before she looked to Andromeda "Can you go see to Delphi, I told her to go get dressed but she's probably either eavesdropping again or tearing her room apart."

Andromeda nodded after a moments hesitation, walking to the door and stopping just before she opened the solid wood "You come find me once you two have decided what you're doing." The woman waited for Nymphadora to nod slightly before she left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Dora, tell me what's going on." Rabastan looked to the woman seriously, taking both of her hands in his own as he tried to search for his answers in her eyes. She looked concerned, frightened almost "Please."

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before with a deep breath she looked up to her husband "Remember last night, when Rigel wouldn't sleep and I went to try and convince him and you fell asleep before I came back?"

"Yes . . ." Rabastan nodded.

"Well, after I managed to put Rigel to sleep I went to see Andromeda in her room—she has troubles sleeping so I figured she'd be awake and, well she was, sat reading some really weird book on—"

"Dora you're babbling." Rabastan said "Tell me how on earth this affects me and my brother?"

"I'mpregnant." Dora blurted, her face going bright red in embarrassment in the sudden outburst before she carried on babbling "I suspected I was, for a little while, but I didn't want to believe it. So I went to see Andromeda and she did the test spell and I'm pregnant." She looked back down at their entwined hands, playing with the mans wedding ring as she refused to see his reaction "I can't go morphing and risk a duel because I don't want to duel when I'm pregnant, it was hard enough last time, now the risk of capture and Azkaban is ten fold and I don't want to risk that, I'm sorry."

"Dora . . ." Rabastan breathed, pulling a hand away as he took her chin in his hand, raising her head to look at him directly "I love you." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips, laughing slightly once she returned the gesture. Though she soon pulled away, much to his confusion.

"I—It's not safe, Rab." Dora sniffed, swatting away a single tear "There's three adults and two children to look after as it is, this will just make it harder. I'm scared, Rab."

"Dora." Rabastan sighed, wrapping his arms around the witch before he pulled her onto his lap, stroking her hair out of her face as he gently embraced her "We'll be fine. This is amazing news, we did always say we wanted more than one . . ."

"Yeah," Dora let out a slight laugh "but with your brother escaping and the search for us increasing . . . I don't want you to risk getting captured, I can't do it without you—"

"Dora, it will be fine." Rabastan kissed her temple "I will be fine. I'll get Rod back, bring him back here and together we can all protect each other. Four adults and three children seem like much better odds for survival, no?"

"I suppose." Dora mumbled, wrapping her arms around the mans neck as she snuggled into him "I can't believe I'm admitting this but . . . I do miss Rod as well . . . a fair amount."

"A fair amount?" Rab chuckled, stroking the woman's hair.

"Mmhm." Dora nodded, melting into him for a few minutes of silence before she pulled away again, looking him firmly in the eyes "You can go get him. But by merlin Rabastan Lestrange I swear if you do not come back in one piece you and I will be having a serious argument, curses flying, red hair, screaming hormones, the lot."

"Sounds terrifying." Rabastan smirked before kissing her again firmly "I'll be back, I promise. All in one piece."

Dora nodded "Okay . . . Go, bring Rod home to us."

With one last deep kiss and a longing embrace Rabastan raised himself from his chair, lifting Dora to her feet before he reached down and stroked her stomach with a boyish grin "You stay safe too."

Dora nodded "Go, before I change my mind." Rabastan nodded, heading for the door with a grin "Rab!" Dora called, smiling sadly as the man turned back to see her "I love you."

"I love you too, Dora." Rabastan smiled, blowing her a kiss before he raced from the manor with all the excitement of a small child, ready to reunite his family again.


	9. Securing Rodolphus

**He's back! :D I love Rodolphus.  
**

 **Dora**

* * *

Rodolphus Lestrange sat on the steps of an old Muggle house, shivering with cold. His robe was ragged and filthy from his extended stay in prison, his hair long and matted. He startled at every single bird, every blade of grass that dared to wave in the breeze. He just wanted to be safe, to be back where he belonged, though he didn't know where that was, if he had anymore belonging.

He looked down to his Dark Mark, almost completely faded from his arm. Bellatrix would have been hysterical, would have screamed at him that they had to find their master, had to be faithful. But what could one do when there was no master to be faithful to? Rodolphus gave a bitter laugh, spitting in distaste at a passing Muggle who stared too readily at him.

The man wrapped his arms around his knees, turning his face away from the sun as it hurt his eyes too much to bear. He missed Bella, and his brother, and dear Merlin he even missed Nymphadora. A little bit. Slightly. Rodolphus sighed. He would never understand Bellatrix, or either of the witch's daughters. His blood ran cold for a second as he thought of Delphini. He knew that the little girl had to be quite a few years older and was in hiding with Rab and Dora, the papers had said that much.

Rodolphus clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering, wishing he'd thought to grab a cloak or something on his escape. He had to find his brother and his family: it was only then that he would feel right, that he would feel he was doing his duty again. He looked up sharply, remembering something. He had promised to meet his brother somewhere...an old family home? No...Rodolphus buried his face in his hands and tried to think, his memories too clouded even though there had been no Dementors this time.

"I must...remember," Rodolphus breathed. "I must. What did he say? Meet him...where?"

The man couldn't help yelling out in rage, though muffling his yell as soon as he realised that he would draw far too much attention to himself if he made a scene like Bella always did. He wasn't weaponless, but he didn't have a wand, and he was weak from his imprisonment. "There," he said, his eyes widening as he remembered. An island their father had taken them to once, that no one else had been to. "Yes," Rodolphus nodded. "I will go." He got to his feet, walking down the road until he reached the apparition point and disapparated once he was beyond the wards of the homes.

* * *

Rabastan arrived on the island, looking around eagerly as he half expected his brother to be standing there with a sign for pick up. He shook his head slightly, hurrying forward and blasting away some of the overgrown path to be able to head further into the island. He would find his brother: he was sure that Rodolphus would remember.

It was a while later that Rabastan began to wonder if his brother had forgotten, worriedly sending a searching spell through the area. Nothing. Rabastan shook his head. It couldn't be...he had to find Rodolphus and take him home. He couldn't let his brother be on the run all alone, especially after what the man had done for him and Dora.

"Rodolphus?" Rabastan called softly, looking around. "Where are you? I know you should be here."

There was no answer, and Rabastan finally sighed, continuing to walk down the path as the weeds and all scratched him, tearing his robes. "Look: I know I've been a bit of a bighead, but I'd really like you to come home with me. I'm even grateful that you saved me and Nymphadora from our fate, protected us from everyone at a terrible cost to yourself. Come on, Rod. I know you've got to be here, or I'm just walking in circles, talking to myself. Now that's probably more likely."

A scoff of laughter made him jump in shock, and Rabastan whirled around, not seeing anyone. "Rodolphus?"

"Who else?" came the man's hoarse voice, though he did not show himself. "I don't know how you managed to avoid the Aurors for so long."

"Well..." Rabastan said sheepishly, scratching his head as he tried to see where his brother was, "it was Andromeda."

"Ha!" Rodolphus gave a mad laugh. "Let me guess. Nymphie ran back to her first Mummy?"

"Don't talk about her that way," Rabastan growled. "Dora loves Andromeda, and the woman has been useful in taking care of the children and disciplining Delphi."

"Delphi...Rabastan, is she okay?" Rodolphus breathed.

Rabastan rolled his eyes in annoyance. "She is more than fine," he said flatly. "She drives me mad, and she is mean to Rigel. Not only that, but she is just so...she acts better than us."

"Didn't Bella always?" Rodolphus said, sounding slightly dreamy.

"Rod, come out from wherever you are," Rabastan sighed. "Let's go home, and I'll make sure you get taken care of. We'll get some good food in you, and—"

"Dora..." Rodolphus said uncomfortably. "She doesn't mind?"

"She only commanded me to return in one piece," Rabastan answered as his brother stepped out of the shadows. "Rod, you look no less handsome than the last time you returned."

Rodolphus merely glared at him and Rabastan shrugged. "Come on," he said, holding out his hand to his brother. Rodolphus stared at the hand for a moment, and Rabastan almost held his breath. "Let's go home," he said softly. "They're waiting."

The older wizard finally reached out and grasped his brother's hand, Rabastan disapparating back to Black Manor.

* * *

Nymphadora sat next to Andromeda in her room, biting her lip nervously. "He should be back by now!" Dora said worriedly.

"He'll be fine," Andromeda told her, distracted by the book of pictures of her old family.

"You're not even listening," Dora pouted, turning away from the witch.

"Nymphadora," Andromeda began sternly, then sighed, cracking a smile at the girl. "You've been worried about him since the moment he left. I'm sure he and Rodolphus will be fine. They will arrive soon, or make some contact. There is no way Rabastan will not come home now that he knows you're pregnant again."

Dora sniffed slightly, and Andromeda wrapped an arm around her. "Shh," she said to the younger witch. "Come on. Let's go find the children and make sure they're not getting into mischief."

Nymphadora shook her head. "They're fine. I checked on them before I came to you. I'm worried."

"Dora," Andromeda sighed, "what is it now?"

"I'm just worried about how Rodolphus will react to the children," Dora muttered. "I mean, I'm sure he wouldn't hurt Rigel because he's the heir, but...what about Delphi?"

"He _will not_ harm her," Andromeda said, sitting up straight. "I will not allow that. I would give him straight back to the authorities without mercy."

"Oh, Dromeda," Dora half laughed. "You can't. Rab wouldn't let you."

"Then I certainly hope the man behaves," Andromeda said flatly. "I will not let any harm come to you or the children."

Dora looked up at the witch, smirking. "Or Rab?"

Andromeda smirked back at the girl. "He can protect himself, Nymphadora. He would not be pleased if I tried to protect him, anyway."

The witch giggled, then jumped to her feet in surprise as she felt a disturbance in the wards. "They're here! Come on!"

* * *

Rodolphus couldn't help giving a small groan when he realised where he brother had taken him. "This place is not safe," he told his brother. "Surely the Ministry would check it..."

"They haven't," Rabastan shrugged. "In the seven or so years we've been here. And Dora is the Head of the House of Black, so we have access to everything here."

"Well aren't you privileged," Rodolphus sneered, before turning to look around at the grounds. "It's changed so much since the last time...since Bella and I visited years ago..."

"Yes, well it's a great deal safer, too," the younger wizard agreed. "Dora and I cleaned out the place with Andromeda's help—you know, she really is a Dark witch, though she hides it well. She knew about everything that was here and helped us not to be murdered by the house."

"Because Nymphie doesn't know her own family history," Rodolphus smirked, shaking his head.

Rabastan rolled his eyes. "I can't blame her for that," he said. "But she's gotten so much better at being...the perfect pureblood wife." He hesitated somewhat, wondering whether he should tell his brother that Dora was pregnant again. When he heard Rodolphus scoff at his words, he decided against it. There was no telling what the newly escaped prisoner would do if taunted.

As they entered the house, Rabastan grinned at Dora joyfully, presenting his brother to her and Andromeda with a flourish. Nymphadora looked at the man, then gave him a small smile. "Welcome," she said softly. "We are glad to have you back."

Two children were standing by Andromeda, Rodolphus' attention drawn to the small boy who was watching him curiously. "You—you're my uncle?" the black-haired boy asked, sounding unsure of himself.

Rodolphus nodded slightly, staring down at the bright-eyed child. "Rigel," he murmured. "You were about a year old last time I saw you."

"Mum says you protected her and dad from being captured," the boy said with a slight frown. "That you were taken instead of them." Rodolphus didn't answer, merely watching the boy as he wondered what else Nymphadora might have told the two children about him. "Thank you," Rigel said quietly.

The older man merely nodded in reply to the boy, though he was soon distracted by Rabastan leading the way down the hall. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you cleaned up and looking good."

Rodolphus didn't respond, though he followed his brother down the hall in spite of everyone staring at the two of them. He just wanted to rest instead of running anymore. He didn't even want to clean up, but Rabastan led him into the bathroom and pointed out to him fresh clothes and all. "Don't take too long or I'll have to check up on you," Rabastan warned him. "I'll be alerted to come show you your room when you open the door."

The man nodded, glad to see his brother go. He was home, though it did not feel natural at all.

* * *

Andromeda returned to the sitting room, Delphi trailing after her, the girl curling up beside her after a moment. "What is it, Delphi?" Andromeda asked her, glancing down at the black-haired girl.

"He...he hates me," Delphi whispered. "I—I didn't do anything to him and he hates me."

"Why would you say that, dear?" Andromeda frowned. "You hardly know him."

"He ignored me," Delphi bit her lip. "He didn't even look at me once. And...I'm Bella's daughter."

Andromeda sighed deeply, then turned to face the seven year old child. "Delphi, he does not hate you," she said to her niece. "You are a source of pain to him, a reminder of something that he should have had. You are not his daughter, even though he was your mother's husband."

"I'm the Dark Lord's daughter," Delphi said promptly, a proud smirk on her lips.

"Yes," Andromeda murmured gently, "you are. And this haunts Rodolphus, for Bellatrix should have given him children, an heir, but she did not. You and Dora have different fathers."

"Dora isn't his daughter either?" Delphi said in shock, looking up at Andromeda. "Whose is she?"

"That isn't important right now," Andromeda said firmly. "Bellatrix hurt Rodolphus a lot, Delphi, with her actions and different things she's done and said to him. He always wanted a child more than anything, but she would not give him one. It haunts him, Delphi, that Bella had two children by different fathers, but refused him an heir."

Delphi scowled. "He was mean to Mum."

Andromeda nodded thoughtfully. "And she was just as awful to him. He loved Bella, Delphi. He loved her to death, but with everything that happened between them, especially with Dora and all, she despised him even before they were married." Andromeda drew a deep breath before continuing. "Even though you remind Rodolphus of all the hurt of his past, you also remind him of Bella, and how much he cared for her, no matter what terrible things she did to him."

"Do I need to stay away from him?" Delphi asked, slightly confused.

"I don't think so..." Andromeda said slowly. "Though I'd be very gentle with him if I were you. His mind isn't stable—he's even worse than Rabastan. Just be careful. In fact—" Andromeda drew two sickles from her pocket, quickly performing a couple spells on them. "Here," she said, giving one of them to the girl. "Keep this in your pocket, and if you happen to talk to Rodolphus and find you need help, squeeze it tightly in your hand and I will know to come find you."

"Thanks," Delphi smiled slightly, wrapping her arms around the witch's neck and kissing her cheek. The girl soon jumped up from the couch and hurried from the room.

Andromeda looked after her with a sigh, shaking her head. She would have to stay on alert to make sure Delphi was not harmed.

* * *

A couple days later, Rodolphus sat alone in his room, having refused to join the rest of the family for meals. Rabastan often pestered him to join in the rest of the family, but Rodolphus couldn't handle being around them all at the same time, seeing them all so happy. He also never knew what to say to Andromeda, who almost always had Delphi at her side.

With a sigh, he looked to the lamp beside his bed, about to turn it off when there came a soft knock at the door. He stared at the door for a few moments, then finally called out, "Enter!"

Rodolphus could not help drawing a quick breath at the sight of the child at his door. "What do you want?" he asked her sharply.

The girl let the door swing shut, then said, "Could we talk?"

"Talk?" Rodolphus glared at her for a moment, sensing her hesitation. "Why would I want to talk to you?"

"Because," answered the girl, "I am the last thing you have left from Mum."

Rodolphus scoffed at her, moving away from her as she seated herself on the bed, watching him. She had a curious look in her black eyes, her hair black as well, and Rodolphus wondered if she was trying to look like her mother, or if it just happened.

The girl bit her lip slightly, then spoke quickly. "I know that you probably hate me because I'm not yours, but...well, you knew Mum." Delphini Riddle drew a deep breath as she looked up at the man, not sure exactly what to say. "You...you have a stronger connection to her—Dora didn't really know her. Rabastan did more, but he makes fun of her and—" Delphi looked down at her hands. "He hates me. He always has."

"He does?" Rodolphus asked, his voice less harsh than before.

Delphi nodded with a small sigh, and Rodolphus was surprised to realise how much that knowledge affected the small girl. "Only Andromeda really cares," she said. "I mean, Dora does too, but her husband—" Delphi wrinkled her nose at the thought of the man "he is awful."

Rodolphus laughed slightly. "He's too much like me," he muttered, shaking his head.

"No," Delphi said firmly. "You...you didn't turn away when I first walked in. He does. You're not cold toward me like Rabastan is."

"Child," Rodolphus sighed, looking away for her for a moment before turning right back to her. "I could not turn away Bellatrix's daughter again."

"Again?" Delphi asked with a frown.

The man closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly in deepest regret. "I—I was the reason that Nymphadora was raised by Andromeda, and not her real mother," he said quietly. "When I found out that Bella had a little girl before we were married, I refused to let her bring the child into my home. I made Bellatrix get rid of Nymphadora—I broke Bella's heart, Delphi. She hated me so much for that that she swore she would never give me children because I had forced her to give up Dora. In all my life, I have never done something so despicable."

Rodolphus jumped in shock as something touched his hand, looking down to see Delphi holding out her hand tentatively before taking one of his large, rough hands in her small hands. "Why didn't you want Dora?" Delphi asked, her finger tracing callouses in the man's hand.

He couldn't help loving the child that was convincing him to confess every thought that had plagued him for a long time, every memory that had driven him mad, every action that Bellatrix had hated him for. He reached out with his other hand, stroking her hair back from her face. "Your mother's father," Rodolphus began with a sigh, "—your grandfather—is Dora's father also. The man abused Bellatrix, and Nymphadora was an accidental result of that."

"Oh." Delphi's eyes widened in surprise. "Why would he do that?"

"He was an evil man," Rodolphus answered. "Anyway, when I found out that Bella had a child by her own father, I was so disgusted and horrified by the idea that I refused to listen to Bella's pleas and forced her to get rid of her little daughter." He shook his head, silent for a few moments until Delphi squeezed his hand. He looked back to her with a sigh. "I was afraid Dora would be a shame to my family," he admitted. "I didn't want to let her into my home, but it was the wrong decision. I've suffered for it ever since."

"You were mean to Mum," Delphi said accusingly, looking into his dark eyes.

Rodolphus watched her for a moment, then agreed. "And I would hurt her again, Delphi," he said softly. "She liked being hurt, and she taunted me to make me want to hurt her. I loved her, and I always will, but I destroyed any love she may have had for me when I forced her to give Dora away."

Delphi frowned at him for a few more moments before nodding slightly. "But you won't try to get rid of me?"

He stared at her, offended at her daring. "Delphini," he said, looking down at his dead wife's young daughter, "I would never again push away one of Bella's daughters. I know better now." He looked away from her, painful memories washing over him as she watched him nervously. "Delphi..."

Rodolphus was shocked when the girl slipped up closer to him, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a small hug. "I...I think you're okay," she whispered, then let go of him, sliding off of the bed. "Thank you for talking to me."

He watched her leave, feeling torn apart emotionally as he watched the door close on the heir of the Dark Lord: his Bella's little girl.


	10. The Hardship of the Hunted

**Enjoy the latest update! :) Also thank you for your lovely reviews, follows and favourites so far**

 **Bella**

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Rodolphus was sat on his bed, flipping through the Daily Prophet that Rabastan had given to him that morning. The wizard sighing deeply as he flicked through the mornings news, though as he just managed to get past the extensive coverage of the search for himself and reached for a quill to attempt the crossword the man grunted in annoyance.

"Come in." the man called out to the visitor knocking at his door, not looking above his paper as his door opened.

"Rod . . ." Dora spoke hesitantly, slipping into the room and gently pushing the door shut behind her "Hello . . ."

With a small frown the man put his paper down, he considered the witch as she stood before him. Her long red curled hair hanging past her shoulders as he wondered if she had morphed her currently preferred dark curls away for his own sake. It didn't matter, no matter what the witch did to change her appearance all Rodolphus Lestrange could see when he looked at her was his late wife. It was almost as bad as Delphini, the younger witch undoubtedly looked the spitting image of Bellatrix though Dora was closer to her mother's age, either way seeing either witch left both longing and hurt deep inside the man. "Hello." Rodolphus spoke, his voice strained though he coughed to hide the emotion in his voice. "How can I help you?"

"I—" Dora hesitated for a moment before with a heavy sigh she walked over to Rod's bed "C—Can I sit?"

"I'm not sure, can you?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow before shaking his head at his own poor joke, nodding "Yes, Dora, you can sit."

"Thanks." Dora smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed as she twisted her hands in her lap.

"So?" Rodolphus questioned.

"So?" Dora frowned before laughing at her own silliness "Right. I—I just wanted to see how you are . . . You haven't been out of your room at all—okay well you've been to the bathroom and I'm sure I heard you talking to the elves downstairs the other night, though you've not socialising. I mean, I get it, it's weird for you. You get taken to Azkaban and then all of a sudden you come back and—and everything's changed. It must be . . . Weird."

Rodolphus looked to the witch curiously, sighing after a moment "Yes, I suppose it is. I'm—I'm adjusting slowly."

Dora nodded, swallowing before she spoke again "Rigel wants to meet you—well, meet you properly. For some reason he seems to have slightly idolised you in his mind." Dora laughed slightly, relaxing slightly when Rod breathed a small chuckle in return.

"Where on earth did he get that from?"

"I don't know." Dora shrugged before she rolled her eyes "Probably his father."

"Well you should correct him there." Rodolphus said.

"No," Dora shook her head "let him. It is partly warranted."

"Oh?" Rodolphus gave the girl a questioning look, moving to sit up slightly.

"Well . . . I suppose he does owe his parent's freedom to you." Dora looked to the man, blushing slightly as she sighed "I owe you my life. If it weren't for you getting in the way at the battle I would have been stuck a hysterical mess in that hall. Rab never could have protected us and got us both out without you there. So, thank you . . . You know, for all you did when I was a child—"

"Dora—"

"No, hear me out. Please?" Dora looked to the man, imploring the man to understand her with her eyes so much like her mothers, it was a look Rodolphus couldn't deny as he nodded for her to continue. The girl sighed deeply before she continued, staring at a small spot of frayed carpet by her feet as pushed against it with her feet "I—I think Mum would forgive you, you know? Okay—" Dora laughed nervously "Maybe she wasn't the forgiving type. Though she'd at least be grateful, she'd appreciate it . . . I appreciate it, I forgive you . . . I have to admit; I may have even missed you."

Rodolphus considered the woman, still staring at the carpet as she blushed in embarrassment. He had to admit the sight was slightly amusing, though he was overwhelmed with a strange feeling inside of him, one of warmth that he had not felt in the many years since Bellatrix had died. "I—" Rodolphus went to speak, watching as the girl looked up to him before he rolled his eyes and sighed, murmuring "I may have missed you too."

"Really?" Dora smiled, amusement reaching her eyes " _You_ missed _me_?"

"Don't push it, Nymphadora." Rodolphus warned.

"Right." Dora nodded, unable to wipe the smile off her lips "I won't push it."

Rodolphus shook his head, watching the girl move to sit cross legged at the end of the bed and smile at the man. "What else do you want, Dora?" Rodolphus frowned, studying her appearance.

"What?" Dora shrugged, scratching the back of her neck in nervousness "What do you mean?"

"Well, you have that look on your face." Rodolphus sighed as Dora raised an eyebrow at her "It's the same look Bella had if she was holding something back that she desperately wanted to tell me."

"Oh." The smile slipped off of Dora's face as she took a deep breath "Well, I told Rabastan I wanted to talk to you—because let's face it after last time it's clear he is the _worst_ at such things. He didn't take much convincing if I'm honest but hey—I have my ways."

"I'm sure you do . . ."

"I—" Dora blushed "That's not what I meant—Well I mean that does come in handy but—You don't want to hear about that—Anyway Rab and I were talking and he agreed that I could tell you—He wanted to tell you ofcourse but I said—"

"Nymphadora." Rabastan interrupted the girl "You're babbling."

"Sorry, nervous habit." Dora blushed "Rab and I are going to have another baby."

Rodolphus watched the woman, staring into her lap as she twiddled her thumbs. Though the small smile of an expectant mother was upon her features there was undoubtedly the nervous worry there, worrying about the reaction. Worrying about what _he_ would think. She actually seemed to care what he would think of her. He got off of the bed, moving until he stood before her and reached his hand out to her. She frowned, though despite her trepidation she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. Nymphadora Lestrange froze as Rodolphus embraced her, returning the hug. The pair paused in their embrace, a silent understanding of acceptance passing between the pair before Rodolphus pulled back to look at her.

"Congratulations." Rodolphus murmured "You must be very happy."

"Thank you." Dora sighed in relief "I am—terrified about how we're going to keep another child safe whilst continuing to evade capture—but happy."

"Good." Rodolphus nodded before he let go of the girl "Someone has to continue the name of Lestrange, it might as well be you." Dora watched as he walked towards the door, opening it and going to walk out before stopping to frown at Nymphadora "Well?"

"Well what?" Dora frowned.

"You said Rigel wants to 'meet me properly'." Rodolphus sighed "Besides, keeping myself locked away in this room is starting to grate on me."

Dora grinned, nodding as she laughed her agreement and walked out of the room, the newly escaped Death Eater closely following behind her.

Later that evening entire household were sat around the main living room of Black Manor. Rabastan was sat on the couch, his wife laid back into him smiling in contentment as he stroked her hair with one hand, the other resting lovingly on her stomach. Andromeda Tonks was sat further off to the corner of the room, reading up on wards and protective enchantments as she kept her distance from the newest member of their household. Rodolphus had not openly voiced his discomfort at the woman's presence though he had kept a noticeable distance from her since he had left the confines of his room. Delphi shrieked in laughter as the deck of exploding snap cards herself, Rodolphus and Rigel were playing with went off in the young boys face.

"Not fair." Rigel growled, rubbing his face at the shock.

"Oh merlin," Delphi laughed "Rigel, your _eyebrows_."

"What?" Rigel asked, confused.

"They're singed." Rodolphus smirked in amusement, resetting the deck of cards.

"What?" Rigel widened his eyes in shock, standing up and running to the mirror "It's not funny, Delphi!" the boy snapped as he glared at the girl, his hair flashing red as he remained oblivious to each of the adults in the room trying to stop themselves laughing at the sight. "Mum! Dad!" Rigel groaned, stomping his foot as he turned to the pair on the couch.

"Rigel," Dora giggled, unable to contain herself "just morph them back." The woman summoned a small mirror, nodding for the boy to come to her as she held the mirror up to him. Rigel stomped over to her, glaring at the mirror. "Calm down first, concentrate." Dora encouraged, sitting up slightly as Rabastan pouted at her warm body leaving his own.

"Why does he need a mirror?" Delphi demanded, sitting up on her feet as she rested her hands on the small coffee table " _You_ don't need a mirror, neither does Dromeda."

"He doesn't need a mirror, it just helps. Rigel's still learning all about his morphing, Delphi." Dora sighed, smiling and kissing her sons head as he successfully managed to morph his eyebrows back to normal as his hair returned to match his fathers.

"Did you need a mirror when you were seven?" Delphi narrowed her eyes at the witch questioningly.

"Well—I—" Dora bit her lip, knowing full well she stopped needing a mirror by the time she'd reached six.

"Ha!" Delphi smirked "So Rigel is dumb."

"Hey!" Rigel snapped, his hair returning to red "I'm not dumb! At least I can morph! You can only change your hair colour!"

Delphi's eyes widened, her mouth dropping in shock and disgust at the boys words "You—You—!" Rodolphus grabbed the girl by the arm as Delphi went to run for the boy, the table nearly knocking over as Rigel ran behind the couch, his father standing up as he drew his wand.

"Rabastan!" Rodolphus growled "Put that away!" Delphi stared at the man's wand in shock before she turned and hid herself in Rod's robes, clinging onto the material as she whimpered. "You're scaring a child." Rodolphus glared through gritted teeth.

"She's not scared! She scares Rigel all the time but she never gets bloody scared!" Rabastan hissed.

"Rab, he's fine." Dora stood up, gently placing a hand on his wand arm as she tried to calm him "They're just children being children."

"She gets away with too much, Nymphadora!" Rabastan glared intently at his brother, ignoring Andromeda as she walked over to Rigel. She bent down to his height, stroking his hair out of his face as she quietly asked if he was okay, kissing his head as he nodded with a sniff.

"Rab—"

Each of the four adults froze were they stood, feeling the immediate disturbance in the wards. Nymphadora's hair instantly went white, one hand going to her stomach as the other went to her wand "Rab . . ." she whispered.

"Stay here." Rabastan spoke firmly, drawing his wand as he and his brother exchanged knowing looks before Rodolphus walked towards the door.

"I'm coming." Andromeda and Nymphadora spoke in unison.

"No." Rabastan snapped "You are not."

"W—What's going on?" Rigel whimpered.

"Nothing, Rigel." Dora forced a smile of comfort at both her son and her sister "You two stay in here, ever so quiet and well behaved. Okay?" Dora sighed at Delphi's scowl "Please?"

"Dora you're not going out there." To her surprise it was Rodolphus who spoke, letting Andromeda walk out of the door ahead of them to search for the point of the disturbance.

"Yes, I am." Nymphadora glared "You will not stop me."

"I—"

"Stop arguing!" Andromeda snapped from the corridor "They're at the gates, four of them!"

"I'm coming!" Dora yelled, ducking out of both Rabastan's and Rodolphus's grip as she ran out into the corridor.

"You're just as bad as Bellatrix, Nymphadora." Rodolphus sighed in annoyance as he and Rabastan followed the two witches.

Andromeda and Nymphadora were stood at the door, the elder witch muttering a charm under her breath so she could see through the door whilst not being seen. There were four ministry officials, just as Andromeda had said. Dora looked to them with a look of determination as she let her husband put a protective hand on her hip. "Knock them out and obliviate them." Dora whispered even though she was sure they could not be heard.

"I say we kill them." Rabastan said.

"It has been a while." Rodolphus smirked at his brother.

"No," Andromeda hissed "Dora's right. We kill them and they'll come looking for the bodies, we need to obliviate them of any knowledge of finding us and send them on their way unharmed."

"Fine." Rabastan drawled.

"Come on, let's teach them a lesson." Dora smirked, pointing her wand at the door as she slammed it open.

Before she had a chance to run the three others raced ahead of her, Dora shaking her head in annoyance as she watched them instantly get into a heated duel. She gripped tightly onto her wand, walking forward to the duel, not missing the two children ducking out of sight of the window as she turned to look back at them. With a roll of her eyes she threw a spell at the windows, letting the children see out but no-one look in. She had no qualms with the children witnessing the fight, it would help build character (or at least stop Delphi begging to know what had happened and keep them distracted for long enough to stop them fighting with each other in the adults absence).

"It's the other Lestrange!" an Auror yelled out as Dora stood next to her husband, reflecting a spell.

"The _other_ Lestrange?" Dora frowned, mocking offence as she watched Andromeda throw one of the Auror's off his feet "Rude."

"You're clearly not as important as us lads, Nymphie." Rabastan laughed.

"Hmpf." Dora screwed up her features in annoyance as she continued the duel. She was not surprised, though nor was she pleased, when Rabastan and Rodolphus ended up falling into their old tricks. The two men had managed to lead a pair of Aurors away from the fray, furiously duelling them in sync with each other. "Rabastan!" Dora yelled through gritted teeth, duelling as best as she could though the two Aurors were starting to prove too much for her. Andromeda was duelling furiously beside her, though a curse had already hit her wand arm and as the witch had been out of practise in duelling even when the war ended years ago let alone now. Dora was not faring much better, falling backwards as they soon started the inch towards her. "RABASTAN!" Dora screeched as Andromeda got hit full in the chest with a curse, skidding backwards across the grass though she quickly tried to regain her standing. Rodolphus looked over to the pair as he managed to knock out the last of the two opponents they had singled off.

Dora turned to turned to see Andromeda struggling back to her, wand raised "Dora look out!" Andromeda yelled.

The black haired witch turned just in time to get hit full on with a curse, not quick enough to block it herself. She cried out in agony, her husbands yell of anguish barely audible to her as she fell to the floor clutching her stomach tightly. Dora looked through tear filled eyes as Rodolphus managed to drop the last Auror.

"Dora!" Rabastan repeated, dropping to his knees as he scooped his wife into his arms, his eyes scanning her body "No . . ."

"W—What?" Dora whimpered in pain, looking to her husband before following his gaze. A yell of anguish left her as she realised what he was staring at—the blood on her skirts. A deep red beginning to seep through the thin material of her light summer dress. "R—Rab—I—I—Ah!" she hissed in pain, clutching at her skirts.

The man continued to stare at the woman, his face full of horror at what he was seeing from the woman cradled in his arms. Rodolphus moved over to the pair, kneeling in front of his brother as he firmly stared into his eyes "Rabastan." He spoke calmly "Rabastan, look at me." Rodolphus waited for the man to raise his gaze to his own "We need to get her inside, she's in pain. I'll see if I can help her at all, you and Andromeda are better at memory enchantments than I am. Don't kill anyone, okay?"

Rabastan stared blankly at the man for what felt like a small eternity to the witch whimpering in pain in his arms before he nodded stiffly, allowing his older brother to take his wife in his arms. Nymphadora clung to the wizard, her face streaming with tears as she let the man carry her back into the manor without a second thought of the people left by the gates of the manor. She was horrified. Horrified at the blood on her skirts, horrified that such a thing could happen. Though as Rodolphus tried to calm her on the way up to her bedroom all she could think about was what she had lost, how she had risked not only her own safety but the safety of her own unborn child. As Nymphadora was lowered onto the plush bedding in her own room the witch didn't dare look at Rodolphus. She merely closed her eyes and cried silently as Rodolphus tried in vain to help her.

"Dora . . ." Rodolphus sighed as he leaned over, running his wand across her skirts to get rid of the blood. The witch continued to sob, clutching her hands into the bedding. "Dora—Calm down."

The witch pressed her face into the pillows, trying to control her sobs. As she felt the weight of her mother's husband sitting on the bed beside her she took a shaky breath, biting down on her lip as she forced herself to stop crying for a moment. The older man's eyebrows were furrowed, a look of sorrow mixed with the slightest hint of disappointment in his eyes. That small part put a heavy weight on Nymphadora's stomach, she could barely cope with Rod's disappointment on the matter let alone her own husband's that she was sure to see. "R—Rab's going to hate me." Dora whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself as she curled onto her side.

Rodolphus sighed "I'm sure he won't."

Dora shook her head, screwing her eyes shut "You would have hated mum if she lost a baby, you can't deny that."

The man winced at the thought, swallowing before he replied "Probably . . . I would have hurt her."

"Exactly!" Dora cried, sitting up as she yelled at the man, tears still streaming down her face.

"I'm not Rabastan and Rabastan is not me." Rodolphus shook his head.

"He's going to be angry." Dora shook her head as she swatted away her tears.

"Nymphadora, I—" Rodolphus hesitated for a moment before he merely shook his head again. He reached out and squeezed the girls shoulder in a small attempt to reassure her though this only evoked a fresh bout of tears from the girl. With one last look at the crying witch Rodolphus let go, getting up off of the bed and walking towards the door "I'll get someone to bring you a painkilling potion." Nymphadora didn't react to his words, merely curled back onto her side and she hugged onto her pillow and muffled her tears into the feather stuffed silk. As the man gently closed the door behind him he turned to see Andromeda and Rabastan coming from the end of the corridor.

"Rabastan!" Andromeda hissed, struggling to keep up with the man infront of her.

"She is my wife and I will see her no matter what you say!" Rabastan snapped.

Rodolphus sighed, by the looks of things the pair had been arguing all the way from the gates of the Manor. "Did you modify their memories and rid us of them?" Rodolphus asked, standing in the way of Rabastans entrance to the room.

"Yes." Andromeda nodded "Tell your brother to calm down, Rodolphus."

"I am calm, woman!" Rabastan glared at the witch before looking to Rodolphus with all seriousness in his eyes "How is she? Did she . . .?"

Rodolphus nodded, wishing he did not see the sudden flash of hurt and loss in his younger brother's eyes. "She's . . . upset, to say the least."

Rabastan nodded stiffly "I need to see her." He went to move, shooting a glare at Rodolphus as he pressed a hand to his chest.

"She needs rest—and a painkilling potion." Rodolphus said.

Andromeda summoned a potion, stepping forward to the two men "Let me see her, she needs her—she needs a woman's touch."

"No." Rabastan yelled, turning around and snatching the potion out of her hands before he near enough pushed Rodolphus out of the way "Neither of you are stopping me from seeing my wife!"

Rabastan tore the door open, ignoring Rodolphus stopping Andromeda from grabbing him to stop his way. As soon as Rab got into the room he shut the door behind him, warding the room to stop the pair outside listening in or trying to disturb him. It was only as he heard the quiet, questioning call of his name from behind him that he turned to see his wife. She was a mess. Nymphadora's hair was a mousey brown, her eyes red and puffy, tears streamed her usually perfectly clear and innocent features, a look of sorrow tinged with a hint of fear in her deep brown eyes. The woman sat up on the bed, her legs pulled to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them, waiting for Rabastan to say something, anything.

"Rab . . ." Dora choked, wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to compose herself.

The man stared down at her, unsure what to say or do before he hesitantly walked over to the bed. A pang of hurt ran through his chest as Nymphadora pulled her legs closer to herself when he sat on the bed next to her. "Dora . . ." Rabastan breathed, shutting his eyes as he tried to think of something to say.

"Rab," Dora cried "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ran out there with you—I should have put protection charms on myself—I shouldn't have gotten distracted! It's my fault! I got our baby killed!"

"Dora." Rabastan looked to the woman crying on the bed, desperate in her words "Dora." Rabastan shook his head, reaching out and pulling the woman into himself. She froze, rigid as he laid on the bed and pulled her into his side. He kissed her hair, gently rubbing her back until she finally started to relax into him, sobbing into his robes. "I don't blame you." Rabastan murmured, his lips pressed to her head.

"I—I blame me." Dora sobbed, wrapping her arms around her husband "Y—You should hate me. Rod said he would have hurt mum if she had lost a baby."

"Remind me to curse him for saying such things to you." Rabastan glared at the thought before he shook his head, continuing to rub the girls back and stroke her hair, ignoring his own pains.

"H—He's right." Dora sniffed "Any pureblood husband would do the same."

"Dora," Rabastan sighed, taking her chin in his hand as he gently moved her to look into his eyes "I could never hurt you. You have already given me an amazing son, I know you would never purposely do such a thing as to lose a child. I—" Rabastan blinked back his own tears, letting go of her chin as he instead drew her head to his chest "I love you, Dora." The man whispered, unable to yet speak of the pain of losing their unborn child—he could not let Dora see him become upset when she was already hurting so deeply and freely.

"I—I love you too, Rab." Dora whimpered, grasping onto his robes as she shut her eyes trying to still her cries. After Rabastan had ensured Nymphadora had drank the pain killing potion (Rabastan did not accept her insistence that she was okay, he could always see through her tough exterior) the pair laid there in silence, Rabastan gently comforting his wife as he let her finally cry herself dry. Rabastan Lestrange did not let his own tears fall for the loss of their child until Nymphadora was soundly sleeping in his arms hours later.

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 **Bella**


	11. Not a Small Problem

**Totally loved writing this chapter! (And every chapter) Do enjoy!**

 **Dora**

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The next morning when Dora woke up, she lay still in her husband's arms for a while, not willing to let him know she was awake and see the hurt in his eyes again. It wasn't until he squeezed her gently and kissed her hair softly, murmuring her name, that she realised he knew she was awake. "Rab," she sniffed, clenching her fists, and he held her close, kissing her head again.

"It's okay, Dora," he said softly. "I love you."

"I'm sorry," she sniffed.

"It isn't your fault," Rabastan murmured. "We don't have to talk about it. I know it hurts; it hurts both of us."

She cringed against him, and he berated himself mentally as she whispered, "I didn't want to be a disappointment."

Rabastan sat up, pulling her onto his lap. "You are not a disappointment, Nymphadora," he said quietly. "You are not allowed to believe such things of yourself. You've done far more for me and our family than your mother would have, and for that, I will not let you say that."

Nymphadora clung to him, wanting to cry all over again, though she forced herself to remain calm. "What-what do I say to Andromeda? And Rodolphus?" she asked him. "I-I saw that he was upset last night. The look in his eyes-" She fell silent for a moment before saying, "I know he was comparing me to Bella. And I know I'm different, but-I can't help worrying that he'll say something to me about it."

"He had better not say anything wrong to you," Rabastan said firmly, "or I will have some strong words for him. If he does _anything_ , Dora, don't be afraid to come talk to me."

"Okay," she gave a weak laugh.

"Andromeda should understand how you feel and all that," Rabastan said. "Since she's a woman, and all that." He shuddered, and Nymphadora couldn't help laughing, throwing her arms around him and kissing his cheek.

"I love you," she whispered, and he turned his head, his lips finding hers.

"I love you too," he answered after a moment. "Are you going to breakfast this morning?"

She turned her head away from the morning sun and sighed. "I don't want to," she said. "But Rigel and Delphi will expect me to be there. They didn't know about-but they saw me injured... I'm surprised Rigel didn't try to come talk to us."

Rabastan frowned slightly. "Yeah," he said thoughtfully. "You know, maybe I should go see what he's doing right now..."

Nymphadora sighed, reluctantly pulling away from him. "I'll go talk to Andromeda, then," she said. "And maybe check on Delphi."

She saw him frown and murmured, "Rab, she's my sister. Be careful...you know she means a lot to your brother."

"She should mean nothing," Rabastan hissed, and Nymphadora turned away from him as tears came to her eyes. "Dora," he said, immediately apologetic, "I just want my family to be safe. That girl is not...I can't keep allowing her to get away with things."

"Please," Dora said softly, walking up to him and placing her hands on his arms. "Let's not talk about this right now. I...I just wish we could all be happy together, including Delphi and Rodolphus and Andromeda. It's just awkward between them."

Rabastan nodded, hugging his wife again. "Well, let's dress and go," he said softly. "I'll meet you at breakfast. And don't come in all crying and everything or I'll have to curse whoever you walk in with."

Dora giggled a little, hugging him in return before she pulled away and changed her robes, quickly morphing her hair black from its mousey brown state. She hurried down the hall toward Andromeda's room, glad that no one had seen her as she knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the woman's voice, and Nymphadora took a deep breath before entering the room. Andromeda looked up from putting a final pin in her hair. "You're all right," Andromeda sighed thankfully. "Good. I'm sorry I wasn't more help, Dora."

"Mum," Dora sniffed, hurrying to hug the woman before she muttered, "I mean, Andromeda."

"Shh," Andromeda said softly. "I know what you mean."

"I haven't slipped up for years," Dora pouted, pulling back and turning away. "Were Delphi and Rigel okay last night?"

Andromeda nodded. "Rodolphus put Rigel to bed, and I had a few words with Delphi before she left. I kind of got the feeling she was going to go listen outside your room."

Nymphadora shook her head, a slight smile on her lips. "She's just like me. It's a good thing Rabastan warded the room. I feel like I cried my soul out."

The older witch gave her a sympathetic smile. "No more than I did when Ted was killed, I'm sure," she said quietly.

Dora stared at the woman. "You acted like it didn't bother you," she said, stunned.

"I'm a damn good pretender," Andromeda smirked, then sighed. "Dora, I cried my eyes out for days. He was everything to me. I wanted to die, and I thought I would, but of course Bella wanted me to suffer instead." She bit her lip at Dora's expression. "Sorry. I knew I had to convince you that you had to let go of me and Ted, so I pretended it didn't matter. But it mattered to me, and I still miss him."

"I love you," Dora sighed, hugging the witch tightly. "I'm sorry that happened to you and Dad...Ted. It's so strange that I never knew my real father."

"It was better that way, trust me," Andromeda said firmly. "I'm glad he's gone though, may he burn in hell."

"Andromeda, did you wake up cranky this morning?" Nymphadora laughed at the witch.

"I'm still sore from the duel last night," Andromeda admitted. "Willing to take it out on whomever I'm talking about, as well."

Nymphadora grinned and hugged the witch tightly. "Okay. Come on; let's go make sure Delphi's awake and getting ready for breakfast."

The two witches walked down the hall laughing together before they knocked on Delphi's door at the same time. The instant Delphi opened the door, she hurried to give Dora a hug. "You're okay!" she said in relief. "You were hurt...we didn't know if you were all right..."

"I'm fine," Dora said, biting her lip as she returned the girl's embrace. "I'm sorry to worry you."

"Rigel was crying," Delphi frowned as she looked up at her sister. "But R-Rod took care of him. I don't know what happened after they went away...I haven't seen either of them since."

"Then I'm sure he'll be fine," Dora told the child. "Come here: we need to brush out your hair."

"No!" Delphi groaned as Dora led her back to the mirror, going to help her. "You know I hate when you do it!"

"Better she do it than I, remember?" Andromeda asked the child with a small smirk. "I will pull your hair out."

"But you do it fast," Delphi complained, whimpering as Dora pulled the brush through her hair. "Practise being someone else's mother!"

Andromeda's hand gripped Nymphadora's shoulder before the witch could react, and Delphi turned to look between the two. "What?" she demanded. "I didn't say anything that bad! Don't you two start acting like Rabastan, because I _will_ run away."

The brush fell from Nymphadora's hand as she stared at the girl. Andromeda wrapped her arm around Nymphadora and pulled the witch into her side gently. "Delphi..." she looked at Dora for a moment before continuing "you know that Dora was cursed last night."

Delphi nodded, and Dora looked at her sister tearfully. "I-I was going to have another baby, but-the baby died last night-when I was injured. That's why I had to be closeted away last night. I was hurting too much." Dora sniffed, tears dripping onto her face as she looked at Delphi. "I'm not trying to be your mother. I could never be our mother, Delphi."

"You...you had a baby?" Delphi frowned, reaching out her small hand to touch the front of Dora's dress. "But it's gone?"

Nymphadora nodded, a small sob escaping her, and Delphi wrapped her arms around her sister, hugging her gently. "I'm sorry, Dora," she whispered. "I'd kill them for what they did to you if I could."

The witch squeezed Delphi tightly, whispering, "Thanks. I...I'm sorry I'm so emotional, but I can't help it."

"It's okay," Delphi nodded. "Dromeda says that happens to girls sometimes."

Nymphadora smiled through her tears, and felt Delphi press a tissue into her hand. "Here," she said.

"Thanks," Dora sniffed, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. "Okay. Shall we go to breakfast now?"

The three girls left the room together, walking toward the dining room to meet the boys.

* * *

Rabastan had found his brother sitting in Rigel's room, the two looking up innocently as Rabastan walked into the room without knocking. Rodolphus grinned as the boy said, "I knew it was you! Is Mum okay?"

The boy's father nodded, a faraway look in his eyes. He quickly said, "She's still recovering, but she'll be all right."

"Is she sad?" Rigel asked hesitantly.

"Rodolphus?" Rabastan said suspiciously, shooting a glare at his brother. "You told him!"

"I wanted to know what happened!" Rigel protested, looking between the two before asking his father, "Was I really going to have a little brother or sister?"

Rabastan looked at his son for a moment, then nodded numbly. "The child was an innocent victim of the Aurors that were here."

Rigel seemed to accept this. "So Mum's upset? Are you sad too?"

Rodolphus watched his brother closely, and Rabastan wanted to yell at him to go away, but forced himself to sit calmly beside Rigel on the bed. "Your mother," Rabastan said quietly, "cried for a very long time last night, as she was very upset and scared. I'll explain more when you're older, but she thought I would blame her for losing the baby."

Reminded of things Dora had said, Rabastan glared at his brother. "And if you _ever_ say such things to Dora again about how you and I would treat our wives, there will be pain."

"Sounds entertaining," Rodolphus nodded.

"Rigel," his father said softly, "it is very sad, to lose a child like this. Your mother and I have wanted a second child for a little while, as we thought we were finally safe enough to protect another. I...I cannot deny that I hurt when I think about what we lost, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened. I did not sleep last night."

Rigel nodded, glancing between the two men again and deciding against asking whatever he had been thinking. "Can we go see Mum, then?" he asked, looking at his father.

Rabastan got to his feet and motioned the boy forward. "We're meeting at breakfast," he said. "You can see her there."

Rodolphus silently followed the two, Rigel glancing around to look at him once or twice. As they entered the room, all six of them sort of just traded looks and all until Rigel walked over to his mother and kissed her cheek, hugging her around the neck. "I love you, Mum," he told her firmly. "I'm sorry."

Nymphadora looked up at Rabastan in alarm, but he gave her a reassuring nod, motioning her toward Rodolphus. The man to blame glanced at Delphi, then Rigel and gave his brother a pointed look.

Delphi motioned Rodolphus to sit on her other side as she hurried around the table and sat next to Andromeda, facing her sister's family across the table. "I'm hungry," she said with a little shrug. "May we begin now?"

Dora agreed, the food appearing before them almost immediately. They were mostly quiet as they ate, Andromeda checking the paper to make sure that they had succeeded in properly obliviating the four Aurors. "No mention," Andromeda said, looking up at Rab and Dora.

"And you got healed?" Dora said with a frown. "I forgot you were cursed, even after what you said..."

"Yeah," Delphi nodded knowingly. "Rodolphus healed her after they yelled at each other in the hallway like Rigel and I weren't there."

Andromeda ignored the girl's words, but Dora raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Rodolphus looked across the table at the witch. "We talked," he said. "Instead of ignoring each other."

"Talked?" Rigel sputted, almost choking on his breakfast. "You call _that_ talking? I thought they were going to kill each other."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," Andromeda sighed, nudging Delphi who had a smirk plastered across her face. "There were just...things, that I didn't realise. It's okay now, though. We've got things sorted."

"I'm curious," Rabastan smirked, but his brother was unfazed.

"They were worried about Dora, and Dromeda yelled at Rodolphus, and he yelled back, and then they were arguing about who would put 'the children' to bed," Delphi rolled her eyes at them. "I stopped them before they could make Rigel cry."

The boy's hair flashed red, and Rabastan looked shocked, Dora biting her lip slightly as she looked at the three on the other side of the table. Rodolphus glanced at the girl. "Delphi, you ought not to say such things."

Delphi rolled her eyes, but Andromeda reached beneath the table and nudged the girl warningly. Rodolphus finally said, "We talked enough to put our differences aside," he said to distract his brother, who was glaring at Delphi. "But it's still unusual to have her speak so freely in a place that isn't hers."

Andromeda's eyes lit angrily for a moment before she pressed her lips together tightly and refused to comment. She did no such thing, though Rodolphus had no right to simply walk in and tell her he was going to talk to Rigel before he put the child to bed. She shook her head slightly as she pushed her plate away, finishing her tea.

"I'll be elsewhere," she sighed. "Delphi, you're done. Come with me." The girl did not protest, for which Andromeda was very thankful.

Moments later, Andromeda sat the child down on her own bed, looking down at her with a sigh. "Why do you _purposely_ try to upset Rabastan?" she asked the girl. "You know that he will be upset at anything that upsets Rigel, Delphi."

The girl frowned for a moment, then said, "Rigel's a crybaby, and Rab worries about him too much."

Andromeda shook her head. "Delphini. As much as Rabastan tries to leave you alone for Dora's sake, he _will_ hurt you if you do not behave. Dora will try to stop him, and I will protect you, but you need to not taunt Rigel and his father so much. Do you understand?"

Delphi nodded, and Andromeda said, "No. Say 'Yes, Andromeda.'"

The girl glared at her, then said the words sullenly. "Do you think Rodolphus would protect me?" she asked after a moment.

"Is that what you want to find out now?" Andromeda said in astonishment. "To see if you can make two brothers fight? Delphi...you shouldn't do that to them."

Delphi pouted, then grabbed Andromeda's hand and pulled the witch to sit next to her on the bed, curling into her side. "I talked to him. He said he would never hurt me because I'm Bella's. But I don't know if he would care if something happened to me."

Andromeda hugged the little girl, sighing in despair that the child needed to know if Rodolphus cared about her enough that he would protect her from her own stupidity. "You know, Delphi," she said softly, "I care about you, and I would never let anything hurt you if I could help it."

"Yes," Delphi bit her lip, then looked up at the witch with bright eyes. "But...he's the closest thing to a dad that I've ever known—"

"Delphi, don't you ever say that to him," Andromeda said sharply, then shuddered.

"I know better than that," Delphi said haughtily. "But...it's different than the way you care, Dromeda. I think...I think I can teach him to just love me, instead of hating and loving me."

Andromeda shook her head. "So much like Bella," she sighed. "Just be careful about teaching Rod anything, do you understand?"

Delphi nodded eagerly. "I will," she said. "Don't worry." She hugged Andromeda quickly before jumping down from the bed and running out of the room.

Andromeda sighed softly. She would never not worry about her young niece.

* * *

A few days later, Andromeda was teaching both Rigel and Delphi in their designated spell-proof room when a knock came on the door. "Enter," Andromeda called, soon frowning as Rodolphus entered the room. "What do you want?" she said, too late to make herself sound more polite.

Rodolphus gave her a slight look of disdain, then said, "I would simply like to watch, if you don't mind."

"Rigel will probably curse you accidentally," Delphi giggled. "Be careful."

"I will not!" Rigel protested, his face turning red. "Dromeda, make her stop saying that!"

"Shh," Andromeda told him. "Delphi, I have already told you not to say such things. Now both of you, try it again."

Delphi turned back to the scarf she'd been attempting to change the colour of, tossing her silver hair over her shoulders. It took her a few minutes before she had even got the scarf a darker green, but she knew that it needed to be black. Scowling in concentration (and trying not to giggle at Rigel because he'd nearly set his scarf on fire), Delphi pointed the wand at the scarf and tried the spell yet again.

Rodolphus was watching the young girl and frowning slightly before he said, "Delphi, I don't think that wand likes you. It's not a good match...you need a wand that understands you."

She looked up at him. "And where should I get that?" Delphi asked him, frowning. "We can never leave this place, you know."

The man drew a second wand from his pocket, sighing softly as he stroked it for a moment. "This was your mother's wand," he said quietly, looking straight into the child's eyes. "Try it." He held it out to her, and she reached for it, her mouth open slightly in wonder as she inspected it.

"It's beautiful," Delphi breathed. "May I use it?"

"For today," he answered. "I may give it to you when you are older."

Delphi curled her fingers around the wood, quiet for a moment before she turned back to the scarf. She couldn't help drawing a breath of amazement as she felt the wand awaken in her hand. She spoke the spell, her magic flowing through the wand easily, and she stared proudly between the wand and the black scarf, then looked up at Rodolphus.

He nodded at her. "Good. Now change it back."

Delphi did it several times, grinning at her success. "It's easier to make it black," she said. "I think the wand likes it."

"Probably," Rodolphus said, a small smile touching his lips. "That wand hasn't been used in years. I last used it at of the Battle of Hogwarts."

"To protect Dora," Delphi sighed. "And Rab. But mostly to keep them here for Rigel's sake. Because we all know—"

"You shouldn't finish that," Rodolphus told her. "You need to be more discreet, Delphi. Bella would want you to."

The seven year old girl looked down at the wand in her hand. "She would. So, can you show us that last few spells that were done with this wand? Before me?"

Rodolphus nodded and motioned Delphi closer as he drew his own wand, touching the wandtips together before muttering the spell. He watched as Delphi's spells faded away, Andromeda biting her lip slightly as the spells Rodolphus had done with it began to show up. The man began to explain some of the spells, the girl staring as he told her of the shielding spells and the curses he'd thrown back at those who opposed him before he had fallen.

Rigel's eyes were wide as he heard of the different spells, but Delphi drank in every word, eager to hear about it all. Rodolphus sighed deeply, then said, "These—these are Bella's spells now: she was full of fun that entire day."

"Will you help Dromeda teach me to be that powerful?" Delphi asked Rodolphus, breaking off the spell as she looked into his dark eyes. "I want to be like Mother."

"I have no doubt that you will be," Rodolphus answered. "Though for now, you will continue to learn with Andromeda, and I'm sure she has lots of things for you to learn. When Rigel goes to learn the Lestrange grimoires with his father, I'm sure that you can learn special spells with me."

"I will be teaching both of them the Black grimoires," Andromeda said promptly, giving him a stern look. "They are both descendants of our House."

"I didn't say anything against that," Rodolphus frowned at her. "Though I am surprised that you can remember your family's grimoires, and that a blood-traitor like you would want to teach such things."

"Master Lestrange," Andromeda smirked at him, her wand in her hand, "there is almost _nothing_ I wouldn't do anymore. Teaching family history to my niece and my nephew is hardly distasteful to me. And I am no more a blood-traitor than Dora. Or Bella, for that matter."

Rodolphus glared at her, jumping to his feet. "Don't. You. _DARE_!" he hissed at her, seething in fury. "Don't you dare speak of her that way!"

Andromeda merely looked at him. "Then do not try to insult me."

Delphi walked up to the man, pressing her mother's wand back into his hand. "Thanks," she said quietly, squeezing his fingers a moment before she hurried from the room, leaving the three alone.

Rodolphus glanced at Rigel, then sighed. "I'm sorry," he said to the boy. "It's got to be difficult with Delphi around. Trust me, though, her mother was a lot worse than she is now. The thing is, Rigel, you've got to learn to stand up for yourself."

"She tries to embarrass me all the time," Rigel sighed. "And I'm too stupid to do anything right. She always does it first!"

"Well, girls do that," Rodolphus admitted to his nephew. "But I'm sure you can do this, boy. You've got two very powerful parents, you know."

Rigel grinned doubtfully, but encouraged, and nodded. Andromeda, however, rolled her eyes at Rodolphus. "Since you've got everything under control," she said to Rodolphus, "I shall leave you to handle it. Good day."

The witch walked out of the room and Rigel looked up at Rodolphus. "She really doesn't like you."

Rodolphus laughed. "I know. It's okay. I'm used to that with women." Rigel seemed to be trying to understand that, but Rodolphus continued, "Let's work on this scarf, shall we? Perhaps not black...what colour would you like it to be...?"

* * *

Andromeda was relaxing in the sitting room and perusing one of the books in the grimoires that Dora had released from its special wards when she heard the sound of a door slamming and Dora shouting, "Delphi!"

She got to her feet, hearing the sound of the young girl crying heartbrokenly, and stepped out of the sitting room to see the girl disappeared into her bedroom, Delphi's hair pure white. Andromeda looked back at Nymphadora, who was standing in the doorway of her room, her own hair white. "What happened?" Andromeda demanded of the witch.

"I'm not exactly sure," Nymphadora bit her lip, sniffing back tears. "Rabastan was scolding her, and I think she provoked him—I know he Cruciated her, Dromeda. Please, go help her. I've got to stay with him."

"Of course," Andromeda answered, then hurried down the hall, touching the door of Delphi's room. "Delphi?" she called through the door, still able to hear the child's sobs.

A sob and some other sounds came from the room, but there was no answer. Worried, Andromeda went to open the door when she found herself rejected by the wards. Shocked and even more concerned, she inspected the magic of the wards and found that Delphi had warded the room against her somehow, even if it hadn't been on purpose.

"Delphi!" Andromeda called, frightened at her inability to reach the child. "Delphi, let me in! I want to help you!"

Again, there was no answer, though someone said, "What's happening?"

Andromeda looked to see Rodolphus and bit her lip nervously. "Rabastan Cursed her," she said to him. "She's warded herself in, and I can't break the ward."

Rodolphus stepped forward, reaching out his right hand, and Andromeda hissed, "You can't go in there!"

"I wanted to touch the ward," Rodolphus said in annoyance. "Do you really think I want to burst in on her after whatever it is that Rab did? She's Bella's daughter; I'm sure that wouldn't be safe."

"Merlin knows what you'd do, either," Andromeda muttered.

Rodolphus smiled slightly as he felt the ward, ignoring Andromeda. "So much like Bella," he said, shaking his head. "She used to do this to me all the time when she was pregnant with Delphi. It's a Parselmouth Ward, and she's probably done it on accident."

"Oh." Andromeda bit her lip, staring from Rodolphus to the door. "Well, I knew she probably would be, but I never thought of her warding the door like this..."

"Delphi," Rodolphus called softly, his hand on the door as he touched the ward with his magic. "We want to help you. We need you to allow one of us through the wards so we can heal you. Neither Andromeda nor I know exactly what happened to you, but we need to make sure that the curses aren't hurting you further."

A moment later, he looked up triumphantly, pushing the door open and entering the room, smirking back at Andromeda as the ward continued to reject her. Rodolphus looked at the white-haired child sitting in the middle of the bed and sighed, "He got you good, didn't he?"

Delphi sniffed, looking at him cautiously. "Please," she whispered. "I wasn't being bad. He just...he tortured me."

Rodolphus sighed. "Let me work on healing you, and then you can talk if you want, okay?"

Delphi nodded, scooting closer to him the moment he'd sat down on her bed. He trailed his wandtip down her back, carefully relieving her of the pain of the Curse and shaking his head as he realised the force of anger and hatred behind the spell. "Thank you," she sniffed, curling into his arms when she realised he was finished.

Rodolphus frowned for a moment, then cradled the child closer to his heart, kissing her head. "You're safe now," he sighed. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"He—he said he wanted to talk to me," Delphi muttered, her hair black and brown together. "But he threatened me, and I tried to tell him that I wouldn't listen if he was going to be an idiot, but he yelled that he would teach me to be good. Dora came into the room just a second before Rab Cursed me, and she yelled out, going to stop him."

The girl clung to him tightly, her face buried in his shoulder. "She...she tried to stop me from leaving, wanting to talk to me, but I couldn't stay with Rabastan so angry. He—he really hates me. I didn't even try to upset him, and he hurt me. I didn't mean to ward my room, or answer Andromeda and you in Parseltongue, but—it felt right."

"You were scared," Rodolphus nodded. "It was one of your most natural instincts, then, Delphi. I think you should be proud of that."

"Yes," Delphi nodded, though she still clung to the man. "I don't want them to be upset. Please...don't let Dora and Rab hurt me. I can't help being special."

"I know," Rodolphus sighed, pressing a kiss to her black curls. "Look, Delphi: I know that you and Rab will probably not get along, but you probably need some help to talk to him. Never face him alone, especially after this."

"I wanted to kill him," Delphi bit her lip, looking up to see his reaction.

Rodolphus looked at her for a moment, then said, "You needn't be like your mother enough to go murder your sister's husband. I don't think Nymphadora would like that, and I might even miss him slightly."

Delphi giggled, then sighed deeply. "Will I have a chance to show the world my special powers?"

The man shrugged. "Perhaps. But you need experience. Shh, now. Do you think you could talk to Andromeda now? If she's still waiting in the hall—I'm sure she's still waiting in the hall."

"I'll see her," Delphi said with a shrug. "She is the nicest witch, though, Rodolphus. It's just that she gets upset if she thinks you've insulted her or your family."

"Well, let me go out and tell her, and then she can talk to you," Rodolphus answered. He stood from the bed, releasing her reluctantly.

"Thanks," Delphi muttered, then lay back and relaxed as he left.

Rodolphus motioned Andromeda toward the door. "She should be all right now," he told her. "Just needs a word of encouragement, though I'm sure Nymphadora will deal with Rabastan."

Andromeda seemed to ignore him, brushing right past him into the room, and Rodolphus turned away, walking back to his room. He almost wished that Nymphadora would pull a Bellatrix and just curse her husband. Rodolphus chuckled to himself: Rabastan was no less of an idiot than himself. He only hoped that he, Andromeda, and Dora could keep Delphini safe until Rabastan settled down.


	12. Marvolo

**Thanks to everyone for their support so far, please enjoy this latest chapter and leave a review if you have a minute, we do love them and our supporters. :)**

 **Bella**

* * *

After seeing that Andromeda had gone to talk to Delphini, Nymphadora moved back into her room. She shut the door behind her though was hesitant to turn and face her husband, instead finding sudden intrigue in the pattern of the old dark oak door. She could hear her husband behind her, sat on the bed as he turned his wand over in the palms of his hands, she could feel him staring at her begging to know what her next move would be. Funnily enough even Nymphadora didn't know what she would do next. It was after what felt like minutes but in reality was seconds that Nymphadora turned to face her husband. His gaze immediately snapped away from her, the man instead seeming to find great interest in the decorative engravings of his wand. After she became sure that the man would not speak nor look at her first Nymphadora slowly walked around the bed and to the front of Rabastan Lestrange, the sound of her heeled boots on the wooden floor the only sound in the room.

"Look at me." Dora breathed, wondering if she should also have her own wand in her hands from the way he was so intently observing his own. "Rab." The man didn't move an inch, not relenting in his obsessive inspection of his wand. Dora winced as she held back the need to scream at him, forcing herself to speak calmly. "Rabastan, look at me and say something. Now."

The man stopped turning his wand over in his hands, considering the request for a moment before he slowly let his dark eyes meet his wife's own. "What?"

"What did she do?" Nymphadora asked, struggling to keep her tone calm. "What did a _seven_ -year-old do to deserve a cruciatus curse?"

"She needs to learn to behave, Nymphadora." Rabastan shook his head before he stood, a crazed look in his eyes as his wife took a step back from him.

"She is seven!"

"She is a liability!" Rabastan yelled suddenly. "She is cruel to _our_ son— _your_ child! Do you not care that she upsets Rigel!?"

"Of course I do!" Nymphadora winced as she knew her hair had shot red, she didn't want to get into a screaming match with her husband yet her whole body was full of fury at his stupidity and she couldn't help it as she glared at him. "I care that she teases him, I care that he gets upset—don't you dare insinuate otherwise! Though the way to get her to stop is not to terrify a _child_ by hurting her! How would you feel if Rodolphus decided to use a Crucaitus on Rigel!?"

"He doesn't need it!" Rabastan spat back. "This is how you deal with such unruly children! I Cursed her _once_ , Nymphadora, _one time_! And if you think back on my dealings with her before I have—we all have—this is the first time I have disciplined her in such a way and she seems to have gotten the message!"

"She is crying!" Nymphadora screeched.

"She is a threat to us, Nymphadora." Rabastan growled, walking towards his wife until she was backed into a wall. "She can survive a little curse. Did Andromeda never discipline you as a child?"

"Her idea of discipline was bed without dinner or being grounded! Not using an unforgivable curse on me!"

"Well I can assure you, she's fine." Rabastan glared. "Myself, Rodolphus, your mother, Andromeda even, we all took a Cruciatus as a child. Delphi can deal with it."

"I don't care if it's what is done or what is normal to you, I will not have my sister under a Cruciatus!" Dora cried. "What would Bellatrix do if she was here?! What would _The Dark Lord_ do?"

"Don't." Rabastan growled.

"You gave the most of your life to your lord! Spent years of your life in Azkaban for him! Yet this is how you treat his child!? You—" Dora gasped as Rabastan grabbed her hair in his hand, slamming her forcefully into the wall as he bent her head back to look at him. She hissed at the pain, gritting her teeth as she stopped herself from kneeing him where it would hurt the most.

"Do not bring him into this!" Rabastan growled.

Nymphadora took a deep breath, fighting through the pain of his grasp. "Rab—"

"She threatens our safety, Nymphadora." Rabastan breathed. "If she doesn't do as she's told with the simplest of things what is to say the older she gets, the more powerful she gets, the more of a risk she poses to our exposure?"

"You're only frightening her; you're making her worse! She'll listen to you if you are just kind to her!" Dora cried, reaching out and placing one hand on the mans shoulder, the other slowly reaching up to the hand he had grasped on her hair. "Rabastan . . ." Dora whispered, her fingers slowly running over his own. "Let go—please." The pair stood in silence, the man taking a few seconds before he suddenly relinquished his grip on the woman. He walked straight over to the window, grasping onto the windowsill as he tried to calm himself.

"I just want you safe." Rabastan breathed. "You, Rigel—Rodolphus—I don't want to lose my family again." The man shuddered as Nymphadora walked over to him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know." Dora whispered. "B—But Delphi is my sister, she's my family too. I want to keep her safe just as much as you want to keep Rodolphus safe. She's just a child." Rabastan tensed for a moment before he turned around and looked to his wife, instantly taking her in her arms and embracing her, the woman emitting a gasp of shock at the sudden change. Though she soon closed her eyes, letting herself melt into him as she wrapped her arms around him."

"I don't want to hurt you, Dora." Rabastan murmured as he pressed his lips against her hair. "I try—I just—I was brought up to—It's no excuse—But I—"

"Shh." Dora lifted her head up to face his own, pressing her lips to his until he relented and kissed her back. "I know." Dora murmured.

Rabastan looked down at the woman, taking in each details of her heart shaped face as she looked up at him with her dark imploring eyes. "I—I won't curse her again . . . that's if you can keep her inline yourself, I'm sure Andromeda and Rodolphus will help you."

Dora nodded, kissing the man firmly before hugging him again. "She'll be fine . . . Just—Let's just stay in here for a while, lay down for a bit? I could use the silence for a while before I have to inevitably check on Delphi."

Rabastan nodded, gathering the witch in his arms before walking over to the bed. He laid back, resting the woman on top of him as he gently rubbed her back placing soft kisses on her hair every few seconds. Dora closed her eyes, smiling sadly as she let herself relax into his arms whilst trying to forget of the strained relationship between her husband and sister.

* * *

"Shh!" Dora giggled, sneaking in through the back door as the early morning sun began to creep through the windows. Rodolphus propped the door open with his foot as he took in a large box, placing it on the kitchen table.

"Why didn't you just put an undetectable extension charm on a bag and thrown this stuff in there." Rodolphus groaned, looking through the few items in the box.

"Yes well then how would I have kept this beauty and a tank in a bag, hmm?" Dora raised an eyebrow at the man, lifting the small green snake wrapped around her left arm up to the mans eye line. She smirked when he winced at the sight.

"Why did you have to get her a snake?" Rodolphus sighed.

"Well . . . I thought she'd like a friend?" Dora shrugged. "Someone she can talk to."

"She can talk to us, Dora."

"This is different, you know that." Dora sighed.

The man ripped his gaze from the snake currently happily covering Nymphadora's dark mark. "Rabastan isn't going to like this."

"Since when did you do or not do anything depending on what your younger brother thought, hmm?" Dora raised an eyebrow at the man, smirking when he shook his head in defeat. "See. . . It's her birthday, Rod. She'll enjoy this gift . . . I'll give it to her before Rab wakes up."

"Well, we best hurry." Rodolphus took the box in his arms again, his eyes glancing over the few small presents within. "I think it's best to get that snake off of your arm before he becomes too attached to you—why you never left it in the tank I'll never know.."

Dora giggled, walking ahead of the man towards her sister's room. "Aw, he's cute. It's okay if he likes me and I took him out of the tank because he doesn't need a tank. Well at least I don't think he does . . . Nagini never had a tank. Did she?"

"Dora." Rodolphus sighed, shaking his head as Dora looked to him questionably, instead merely reaching down and opening the door for Nymphadora.

"Thank you." Dora chimed, her hair a bright pink as she walked into the room. She smiled at the sight of the now eleven year old girl, sleeping soundly in her double bed as he silver hair was a mess of tangles as she rolled onto her side with a groan.

Rodolphus rolled his eyes at the mischievous glint in the woman's eyes, whispering to her. "Don't jump on her, be nice."

"Well I'm not going to do that with a snake on my arm." Dora smirked, ignoring the mutter of how much like her mother she was as she walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. She reached out with her spare hand, stroking the hair off of Delphi's face as she leant down and kissed her forehead. "She's so peaceful when she's sleeping . . ." Dora whispered, not being able to help but smile at the girl.

"Only peaceful when she's sleeping." Rod laughed. "Like her mother."

"Hmmm . . ." Dora mused for a few moments before she felt the snake move on her arm again, with a sigh she gently shook Delphi's shoulder. "Delphi . . ." Dora called out to the girl. "Delphini . . . Birthday girl . . ."

"Nooo . . ." Delphi mumbled, lifting her arms to cover her face. "Tired."

"Well me and Rod will just take your presents and go then?" Dora smiled, gently taking her arms off of her face.

"No, leave them and let me sleep longer. I'll open them later . . ." Delphi yawned, opening her eyes to look at her sister for a moment before shutting them. "Why is there a snake on your arm, I—"

Delphi suddenly let out a hiss as she sat bolt up right, looking to the snake through her suddenly wide awake eyes. Dora frowned slightly as after Delphini continued to hiss, the snake slowly unravelling from her arm and continuing to snake around her sister's shoulders. The girl smiled happily, conversing with the snake in a language only she and the snake understood. As a strong hand came and grasped onto Dora's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly as the man looked down to the girl.

"What's its name?" Rod asked.

Delphi looked up the man, hissing at the snake for a moment before looking up to the man again. " _He_ doesn't have a name. He says we can call him what we like."

"Well then you'll have think of a name for him." Dora smiled, winking at the girl as she grinned at her.

The eleven year old thought for a moment, a look of concentration on her face before she looked between the two adults. "What—What was my father's name—not Lord Voldemort, like his _real_ name. I've never been able to find it anywhere."

"I don't think he liked his real name, Delphi." Dora frowned. "I know it but . . . I never dared say it."

"Well what is it?" Delphi demanded.

"It's Tom Marvolo Riddle." Rodolphus murmured.

"Marvolo?" Delphi asked, Rod nodding at the curious look in her eyes before she smiled and looked down at the snake. "I like it . . . Can I call him Marvolo?"

"I—" Dora chewed her lip for a moment before she nodded "Sure—If he's fine with that, I suppose." The adults watched the hissing between the pair with a sense of bewilderment before Delphi turned to them again. "Thank you, Dora. Marvolo says thanks too—he didn't like the woods very much."

"Yo—" Dora gasped as the girl lunged into her arms, hugging her tightly as Marvolo hissed as he slowly slipped down onto the bed. She sighed with a smile, kissing the girls head and stroking her hair as she hugged her back. "You're welcome Delphi."

The two witches sat in each other's embrace or a few moments before Delphi pulled away again, a grin of happiness on the girls face that hadn't been seen in a while. Rodolphus moved to sit on the bed next to Nymphadora, watching the girl as she softly hissed to the pale green snake curling up onto her lap as the silver haired witch stroked its scales. Delphini laughed at something neither of the others could understand before she looked at the adults with a small smirk. "You know he's quite young, he's going to get bigger—much bigger."

"Yep," Dora nodded. "kinda guessed that.

Rodolphus smirked at the girls laughter before he summoned the small box to the bed, lifting out the small pile of presents within. "I'm sure you're too distracted to look at these but—"

"No, never." Delphi giggled, pulling the presents one by one to herself.

"I'm sorry, Delphi." Rodolphus sighed. "We've been going back and forth for a while fetching things for your birthday—and for Rigel's next month. It's not much but we did get a few things. Here—" Rodolphus hesitated for a moment before he looked to one of the parcels, taking it carefully and passing it to the girl. "This is from me, it's not much but it's something."

Delphini nodded, taking the parcel from his hands and pulling it towards herself with a rushed thanks before she ripped the paper off. The grin soon slipped from her face as she looked at the gift in her hands. She fingered the green gems of the silver frame carefully, taking in each aspect of it before she lost her gaze in the frame itself. "Is that—Is it . . ."

"Yes." Rodolphus swallowed. "I took it from a memory . . . You were about a year old—perhaps days before the battle—I went looking for Bella and she was just laid in our room. She'd clearly been trying to get you to sleep for a while because you were both fast asleep by the time I got there . . ."

Dora reached out and squeezed the mans hand, looking over to the frame in the girls hand. Bellatrix Lestrange was laid on her bed, lean back against the pillows as her chest slowly rose and fell with her peaceful breathing, one hand casually laid on her youngest daughters back as the baby had her hand firmly clasped around the chain around her mothers neck despite her slumber. The metamorphmagus blinked back tears, smiling sadly at the image of the seemingly innocent pair.

"Thanks Rod . . ." Delphi murmured, still staring at the picture. No-one said a word for a few moments, the room silent as they all simply sat on the bed. It wasn't until the sound of a door opening further down that Delphini looked up again, a sad smile on her features. "I—I need to get dressed. I'll meet you at breakfast?"

"S—Sure." Dora forced a smile, leaning over and kissing her head. "I'll get Andromeda to cook your favourite. Pancakes, right?"

"And bacon." Delphi nodded, watching the pair get off of her bed and walk towards the door.

"Happy Birthday, Delphi." Dora smiled, Rodolphus repeating her words as he opened the door. The girl replied her thanks before they shut the door on the room.

"Rod?" Dora whispered, taking the mans arm in her own to stop him from walking from her. "I just want to say thank you. I know it can't have been pleasant to delve into your memories about mum like that."

Rodolphus stared at her for a moment before he nodded, gently moving his arm away from the girl. "She needed it . . . Bella would have wanted her to have it, it would have made her happy to know that she had it—just like she was happy when she found out you had that locket." Rodolphus looked to the locket Nymphadora still wore to this day before he looked back to her face with a shrug. "I'll see you at breakfast." Without another word Rodolphus walked away.

Nymphadora had to hand it to the man, for as cold an unfeeling he liked to pretend to be Rodolphus Lestrange really did have a heart of gold deep down inside. Perhaps it was merely his willingness to do absolutely anything for his late wife that seeped into his treatment and attitude towards her youngest daughter, so similar to the woman in so many ways. She couldn't help it as she smiled after the man, cheerily walking off to wake her husband before going to find Andromeda.


	13. Disappointment and Discovery

**Another chapter for you! Thanksss again for all the love on our ssstories, and do enjoy thisss latessst inssstallment of Hunted. :)**

 **Dora**

* * *

Andromeda stirred softly one morning, shielding her eyes from the bright sun as she turned away from it, annoyed with the light in her face. She yawned and stretched as she tried to make herself wake up more. She finally sat up with a sigh, yawning again as she forced herself to get out of bed.

She dressed quickly, then walked to her vanity to brush out her hair. It wasn't very long until she heard a soft knock on the door and called, "Come in!" Andromeda turned slightly, and was surprised to see Delphini walk into her room.

"Dromeda?" Delphi said, seating herself crosslegged on the witch's bed.

"Yes, Delphi?" Andromeda answered, watching her in the mirror.

"Well, now that I'm eleven," she began with a frown, "shouldn't I go to Hogwarts this year?"

Andromeda stopped brushing her hair, placing the brush on her vanity and turning to the young girl. "Delphi," she said honestly, "I wish you could, and I know you are fully magical, but neither you nor Rigel can attend Hogwarts. You were born in secret, and no one knows where you are, or especially that you exist."

The girl looked down at her left arm, then said, "I can't go?"

The brown-haired witch sighed, crossing the room to sit by her niece. "No, Delphi, you can't," she said. "But I will teach you what you need to know, interrupted, I am sure, by Rodolphus. You will learn our grimoires, and whatever special things Rodolphus wishes to teach you. I'm sure he knows spells that your mother created."

"But...I'll miss Hogwarts," Delphi whispered, shaking her head. "That's...that's so wrong!"

"We are hunted," Andromeda reminded her. "We are hidden to keep you and Rigel safe, and to protect Dora, Rab, and Rod from prison."

"And you," Delphi smirked, elbowing the witch in the side.

"Hey!" Andromeda protested with a laugh.

Delphi scooted away from the witch, hissing, and Andromeda stared at her for a moment. "You know, I wish you wouldn't speak Parseltongue to me," she said.

The silver-haired girl smirked, hissing yet again before she spoke, "I wasn't talking to you." A pale green serpent slithered from her sleeve, curling around her left wrist and tasting her hand before he slithered onto her lap.

Andromeda stared in shock at the creature, then looked up at Delphi, who shrugged. "He didn't want to get elbowed," she said.

"Oh dear," Andromeda said, still staring. "Where did you get that?"

" _He_ ," Delphini corrected haughtily. "Marvolo was a gift from Dora and Rod. They sneaked out to get him for my birthday."

"Rab doesn't know, does he?" Andromeda breathed. "Oh dear Merlin, those two—"

Delphi shook her head. "We've got to find a way to break the news to him, so Dora said to keep Marvolo hidden for now," she told her aunt. "But I'm glad I have him. He's my friend."

Andromeda looked at the child for a moment, then gave her a small smile, reaching over and hugging the girl. "Good," she said firmly. "Now then. I need to finish getting ready so I can go to breakfast."

"I couldn't believe you weren't ready yet," Delphi smirked at her. "You're usually trying to wake me up."

"Well, maybe I slept in for once," Andromeda smirked in return. "Just don't tell Dora."

Delphi laughed, hugging her aunt again before taking her serpent onto her arm and getting up from the bed. "Well, I'll see you at breakfast."

Andromeda nodded. "You know, Delphi, perhaps you can carefully explain to Rigel that we can't send you to Hogwarts. Sort of smooth over things with him, and sympathize, okay?"

She wrinkled her nose at the thought. "I won't promise," she warned Andromeda, then grinned and left the room proudly, her serpent hidden under her sleeve.

* * *

Delphi walked straight to Rigel's room, biting her lip as she heard Rabastan's voice. She didn't dare stay around there, and hurried away from the corridor, wondering when she would ever be able to feel safe around him again.

"Missstress isss not going to ssspeak to the other young one?" Marvolo asked curiously.

"Hisss sssire isss...an enemy," Delphi answered. "He hatesss me because I am better than hisss ssson. Because I am the daughter of the Dark Lord."

"He mussst know power," Marvolo said. "He hatesss the young of hisss massster?"

"Old massster," Delphi scowled. "He disssrespects my father all the time, asss if he never wasss a faithful Death Eater. He alssso speaksss badly of my mother, both of which he would not do if they were ssstill here."

Marvolo seemed to agree, though she knew he had no reference for her words. "Missstress mussst wait to ssspeak to the heir of the enemy," he said, gently rubbing his scaly head against her arm.

Delphi smiled. "Of courssse," she agreed, throwing open the door of the dining room. "I will wait. Now shh, Marvolo. We will not reveal you yet."

If a serpent could laugh, Marvolo would have laughed, and Delphi giggled as she took a seat next to Rodolphus, looking from him to Andromeda. "Everyone else is late?" she frowned.

"No," Rodolphus answered. "Rigel is sick, so they won't be at breakfast. They're both too concerned about him to bother with food."

"But one would be sufficient to care for him," Andromeda sighed, and Delphi rolled her eyes.

"They baby him," she said. "No one would stay with me if I were sick."

"You wouldn't let us," Andromeda told her. "But you know I would check on you."

Delphi shrugged, and Rodolphus looked to Andromeda. "Shall we eat?"

They ate very quietly, Delphi making sure not to speak to Marvolo, even though the others in the room knew about him. She had plans for her serpent and Rigel Lestrange.

* * *

Later that week, Delphini decided that she would go to Rigel early one morning and talk to him about Hogwarts and all before the boy's birthday. She knew if he was disappointed in front of the entire family, she wouldn't be able to resist taunting him. She hurried along to the boy's room, testing the ward for a moment before she let herself into the room, silently slipping over to look at her sleeping nephew.

The girl smirked slightly, though she quickly reached out and touched his arm gently. "Rigel," she said softly, "wake up."

The boy did not stir, and she rolled her eyes. "Rigel Lestrange," she snapped, and he just pulled away from her, turning over in his sleep.

"Sssluggish," Marvolo commented, and Delphi couldn't help giggling.

"Rigel," she sighed, "wake up! I'll tell you a secret! One that even your dad doesn't know. Isn't that cool?"

"Go 'way, Delphini Riddle," Rigel mumbled in annoyance, trying to swat her away from his ear.

Marvolo hissed at a near miss with the boy's hand, and Delphi scowled. "If you hit Marvolo, he will not be happy with you," she snapped.

Rigel groaned, pulling his pillow over his head. "Then go play with him," he moaned. "If you're obsessed with pretending you have friends now..."

Delphi stared at him for a moment. "I do not pretend such idiocy!" she said in disgust. "He is my serpent friend, little Lestrange."

Rigel froze, then slowly peeked out from under his pillow. "Serpent?" he whispered.

"Greetingsss," Marvolo hissed, slithering out of the neckline of Delphi's dress, wrapping himself around her neck.

"He says hi," Delphi translated.

"That's what Dad doesn't know, isn't it?" Rigel sighed. "You know he'll be angry."

Delphi glared at him. "He always is," she snapped. "But Andromeda and Rodolphus and your mother all approve of Marvolo, and will be able to keep your father from doing anything too stupid."

Rigel yawned, then considered her for a moment. "They didn't keep him from Cursing you," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

She turned away from him. "It didn't really hurt," she muttered. "Just surprised me. I just didn't know he would do something like that. But I know better now."

The boy nodded with a sigh. "I guess Mum was upset with him," he said. "But...I'm just worried that he'll hurt her if she approves of you having a pet-"

"He is not a pet!" Delphi said quickly, her serpent hissing angrily at the same time. "He is my friend, Rigel. And your mother can take care of herself. I'm sure _my_ mother was a perfect example of how to deal with a difficult man."

Rigel stared at her for a moment, then began to laugh. "I wonder what Rodolphus would say if you told him that to his face," he laughed, falling back onto his sheets. "Look: what else did you want to talk to me about?"

The girl sighed deeply. "I...I talked to Andromeda about something that I think you should know," she said finally, looking up to meet his gaze. "Rigel, we can't go to Hogwarts."

The boy looked shocked. "But...we're wizards. At least, I am. And you're a witch."

"But no one knows that I exist, and all of us are in hiding," Delphi told him. "We know this. It's just never meant anything this terrible."

"But couldn't we go anyway?" Rigel asked.

Delphi shook her head. "Dora wouldn't let us, I'm sure. I mean, if we left the protection of this house, we couldn't go back or everyone would know where our family is. And your father doesn't want you out of his sight, anyway.

Rigel frowned. "That is not true!" he protested. "It's just that he's worried something will happen to us. You know, Delphi; it's what Azkaban has done to him, Mum says."

"Then what about Rodolphus?" Delphi frowned. "Why isn't he half as bad as Rabastan?"

"Because Rod has no one to lose," Rigel sighed. "He only wants to help you because you remind him of Bellatrix. It's obvious that he feels that it's his duty to protect you, for whatever reason."

"He's sad," Delphi nodded. "He—he misses Mum." She looked down at Marvolo, then shook her head fiercely. "Anyway. Do you think you could break it to your father that I have a new friend?"

The boy looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "I'll see what I can do," he told her. "Now go away so I can sleep before they try to come wake me up again."

Delphi grinned, then jumped off the bed and hurried from the room.

* * *

Nymphadora leaned back into Rabastan as they sat together on the couch, Rabastan kissing her ear and making her shift away from him. "Aw, come on," he smirked, kissing her cheek.

"Not now," she muttered, not wanting to draw Rodolphus' attention.

The two men had been reminiscing about old times, and as much as she wanted to distract them, she didn't want her husband to start anything with the other man in the room. "Fiiine," he pouted, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her firmly.

Nymphadora was grateful when Rabastan picked up the paper and began to read, Dora pulling away slightly. "I'm going to make sure Andromeda and the children are all right," she murmured to him before getting to her feet and leaving the room.

She found them, as she knew she would, in their specially warded practise room. Andromeda glanced at her, then motioned her to come closer as she walked over to Rigel and said, "Don't bend your wrist as much. It must be straight, yet fluid for the curse to be as powerful as it should be."

Dora watched the two children thoughtfully, trying to discern what they were learning, but finally had to admit she had no idea. "What spell are you teaching them?" she asked Andromeda.

"Concentrate the magic, Delphi," Andromeda warned the girl. "If you use it too broadly, you will kill your victim instead of merely injuring them."

"Wouldn't want that," Delphi smirked, though she only slightly reigned in the spell.

Andromeda glanced at Rigel, then answered Dora. "We are beginning our study into the Black grimoires," she answered. "As they learn the skills necessary for these spells, they will be learning normal spells and the grimoires side by side."

Nymphadora stared at the woman for a moment, realising something that she never thought of before, but unfortunately, Delphi picked up on it at the same time. "The Purest Black doesn't know her grimoires!" Delphi shrieked with laughter. "Did Mother not think you were entitled to them?"

Rigel turned to look at his mother, and Andromeda looked shocked. "Did Bella not teach you the spells that our ancestors have handed down to us?" she asked Nymphadora in concern.

"N-no," Dora admitted, forcing herself not to blush. She had never even been curious about grimoires, even though she had obviously heard different purebloods mention theirs. Her mother surely would have known them, so why hadn't she taught her?

"Dora," Delphi giggled, "you never asked Mum to teach you these things?"

"I...was learning to be a Death Eater, and a pureblood," Nymphadora said haughtily. "I had no time for such things. And it didn't seem that I was much of a Black at the time, either."

"You could join us," Rigel cut in, interrupting Delphi as she went to make another comment. "Join us in learning, Mum." He walked over and wrapped an arm around her. "Andromeda wouldn't mind, I don't think."

Andromeda smiled at the boy slightly. "Of course not, though I do think Bellatrix should have taught her those to begin with. For her to forget something like that..."

"Wouldn't be too unusual," Nymphadora sighed, slipping her arm around her son. "I would like to learn as well, then."

"Good," Andromeda nodded. "Dear Aunt Walburga would be horrified if she knew that the Head of our House does not yet know the grimoires." She laughed slightly, shaking her head with a sigh. "So let me explain what Delphi and Rigel are _supposed_ to be practising."

The children turned back to practising when they heard Andromeda's tone of voice, and Nymphadora smirked slightly as she listened to the witch explain what they were doing.

* * *

A couple nights later, Rabastan lay in bed, watching his wife sit at her vanity, half undressed as she read a book she'd been quite fascinated with the last few nights. "Dora," he said presently, his voice soft and low.

"Hmm?" she asked, not looking up from the book.

"I was thinking," he said slowly, not taking his eyes off her, "we should have another child."

"'Kay," Dora answered distantly without looking up. Rabastan couldn't help laughing, though she finally glanced at him in concern. "Why are you laughing?" she asked.

Rabastan chuckled, sitting up in bed. "I said, I think we should have another child."

Nymphadora bit her lip, her eyes suddenly sad. "I-I-" she hesitated, then looked down at her book.

"I understand," Rabastan said quietly, getting up and walking over to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "But we both know it was an accident. It won't happen this time."

"Who's to say that?" Dora whispered.

"If you'll let us protect you," Rabastan said gently, and she sighed, standing and wrapping her arms around him.

"Rab," she breathed, "I-please not yet. I-I've got to learn my family grimoires first..." She shifted in his arms, showing him the book she'd been reading, which was worn and faded.

Rabastan gave her a strange look. "You don't know the House of Black grimoires?" he said in shock.

Dora pouted. "Don't make me tell you you sound like Delphi," she warned him. "Because she went down that road, too."

"I'm just surprised," he answered, pressing a kiss into her hair. "So no babies until you've learned how to turn things inside out?"

"Yeah," Dora giggled. "But...you know-"

He cut her off with a kiss, taking her book from her hand and setting it aside in spite of her protest that he'd lost her place. "You can find it tomorrow," he mumbled, then picked her up and carried her to the bed. "I claim you right now."

Giggling, Dora clung to him happily, the grimoires suddenly the farthest thing from her mind.


	14. Lessons

**Please read, review and enjoy ^_^**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora downed the contents of the small glass vial she was holding, wincing at the taste before she walked over to her dresser, opened the top draw and slipped it beneath the pile of freshly laundered underwear. She took a deep breath as she felt the potion settling in her stomach, her nausea slowly fading. Looking to the small mirror on top of the dresser she met her own gaze, rolling her eyes as she sighed. "Well . . . shit." The door to the room slowly opened, the witch gasping and running over to the bed before collapsing down onto the pillows just in time to see her confused husband looking to her with amusement. "Evening Rab."

"Good evening . . ." Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." Dora laughed nervously, shuffling back on the bed to sit against the headboard.

"Nymphie," Rabastan chimed, sitting down next to his wife on the bed. "you're hiding something from me."

"Me? Never." Dora pouted innocently.

"You are." Rabastan frowned.

"Fine!" Dora threw her hands up in defeat, jumping off of the bed and turning to face her husband. "I was hiding your birthday present."

Rabastan sighed, reaching out and gently tugging on his wife's hands to sit her on his lap. "Dora, my birthday isn't for months."

"Christmas?"

"Even further away."

"Valentines?"

"Been and gone."

"How about—"

"Dora." Rabastan spoke firmly, causing the witch on his lap to bite her lip to stop herself talking again. "Tell me what's wrong. Please?"

"Nothing." Dora sighed, snaking her arms around the mans shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Dora . . ." Rabastan kissed her cheek, rubbing her back as he let her melt into his arms. "You're starting to worry me . . . Are you okay?"

"I—" Dora sniffed, burying her face in his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too." Rabastan murmered, kissing Dora's hair before gently manouvering the witch in his arms so he could look upon her face. He couldn't help but feel concern mixed with sorrow as he stroked the hair from her face. "Dora you're scaring me, you've been acting strange all day—you barely touched your dinner and near enough ran out of the room when Rigel had barely finished his. _Please_ tell me what's wrong."

She chewed her lip, placing her hands on her husband's chest as she found a sudden interest in the buttons of his robes. "Well . . . I think I might be pregnant."

"Really?" Rabastan grinned, though as his wife looked up at him meekly the grin slowly began to fade. "I—Are you sure?"

"Well . . ." Dora sighed "Mother nature is more than late with her visit and I've been feeling sick a lot recently . . . I took a morning sickness potion before you came in and this is the first time I haven't felt sick in at least a week. But I haven't done the test spell."

"Do you want me to?" Rabastan asked.

"I suppose so . . . I just . . . I've been putting it off. I'm sorry, I meant to—I meant to at least talk to you about it—but I—"

"Dora." Rabastan sighed. "I understand. But we've had this conversation, last time was an accident—one that will never repeat itself. I'll keep you and the baby safe, we all will. If you are pregnant, nothing is going to harm that child for as long as I live, I promise you that."

The witch hesitated for a moment before she let herself smile slightly. "I do miss having a baby. Because you know, I like functioning on little sleep and forever smelling of puke and dirty nappies."

"Eau de bébé." Rabastan chuckled. "Beautiful." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips as she giggled, lingering for a moment before he pulled away. "Want me to do the spell?" Dora nodded nervously, complying as Rabastan manoeuvred her to lay down on the centre of the bed.

"Rab . . ." Dora sighed, rolling her head back into the pillows waiting for his hum of response before she spoke again. "Will you be upset if I'm _not_ pregnant?"

"Well," Rabastan pretended to consider the witch for a moment as he leant over her with a sly smirk. "no, because then we can spend the night trying." He chuckled as she hit him playfully before he sat up and drew his wand. "Ready?" he looked down to the witch, taking a deep breath as she nodded quickly screwing her eyes shut.

"Do it." Dora whispered, clutching onto her robes in nervous fright. The time seemed to slow as she could hear the gentle swish of Rabastan's wand, her heart pounding against her chest in worry. What if she wasn't pregnant? What if she couldn't get pregnant? What if losing her unborn child had damaged her body so she could never conceive again? What if—Nymphadora's eyes snapped open as Rabastan's lips crashed down upon her own. He wrapped an arm around her back as he pulled his wife into his arms, only pulling away as he felt the need to breath, hugging her closely as he buried his face in her hair.

"So are we making a baby or . . .?" Dora gasped as Rabastan pulled back to look at her, a grin plastered onto his face.

"No need, already made." Rabastan laughed.

"Oh Rab . . ." Dora gasped, her hands immediately going to her stomach. "Wards, I need wards—where's my wand?"

"Calm down." Rabastan chuckled. "You're safe right now—you'll always be safe with me."

"Aww, how romantic." Dora teased, screeching with laughter as Rabastan pushed her back to lay on the bed. "Hey! I thought we didn't need to make a baby?"

"No," Rabastan grinned mischievously, "but we do have cause to celebrate." The witches giggles soon turned into groans, the pair lost within the blankets of their bed as they revelled in their happiness for the first time in a long time.

* * *

"Nymphadora." Delphi spoke haughtily as she walked into the sitting room, ignoring the amused look from Rodolphus and the woman sat next to him.

"Yes, Delphini?" Dora held back a laugh, sitting back as Rodolphus took the large book onto his own lap.

"Don't call me Delphini." The girl scowled. "It's Delphi to you."

"Then it's Dora to you." Dora couldn't help the small huff of laughter that escaped her lips despite the unamused scowl from her younger sister.

"What can we do for you, Delphi?" Rodolphus asked, smirking slightly at the two. "Shouldn't you be with Andromeda right now? And Rigel? You are usually practising your spell work at this time of day."

"I _was_ with those two." Delphi huffed, walking over and perching on the old oak coffee table in front of the pair.

"And why aren't you there now?" Dora asked.

"Rigel was still trying to learn the Impediment Jinx, he's taking ages." Delphi rolled her eyes. "It only took me ten minutes."

"And how long as Rigel taken?" Rodolphus sighed.

"An hour—so far." Delphi shrugged before mischief lit up her face. "I want to learn something new."

"Oh dear." Dora furrowed her eyebrows at the girl. "I recognise that look."

"As do I." Rodolphus sighed. "What matter of dark magic is Andromeda unwilling to teach you?"

"No, she wouldn't be unwilling to teach her dark magic." Dora shook her head, looking to the man beside her. "Just . . ." Dora frowned as she tried to think.

"Well she is." Delphi scowled for a moment before a look of feigned innocence came over her. "But you two are very talented when it comes to these sorts of things. I mean, who better to learn off of? Two powerful, talented people."

"I have a feeling we may be unwilling too." Dora sighed.

"No, you two are more than understanding." Delphi nodded.

"You know," Rodolphus frowned "you are very much like your mother."

"Thank you." Delphi grinned.

"What do you want to learn, Delphi?" Dora sighed, resting a hand on her stomach subconsciously.

"Well . . ." Delphi sat up straight, looking to each of them for a moment before she spoke firmly. "I want to learn the unforgivables."

"Oh. Well . . ." Dora looked to Rodolphus to gauge his reaction to the girls request, though he simply stared at the young witch before him with curious interest.

"Look, if Mum was here, would she not have taught me by now? Or at least _shown_ me?"

Dora frowned, trying to think of what to say "I—"

"She would have shown you far sooner than now." Rodolphus agreed with the girl, ignoring the exasperated sigh from the witch next to him.

"Exactly!" Delphi grinned. "So you'll show me—and teach me?"

"Delphi . . . you're eleven." The witch sat forward on her seat, looking hopefully to the young girl before her. "Wouldn't you rather learn something like — I don't know. Anything?"

"How old were you when you learnt the Cruciatus curse?" Delphi asked, raising an eyebrow at Nymphadora before looking to Rodolphus as well. "Well?"

Dora bit her lip as she shuffled awkwardly in her seat "I—Well—Rodolphus?"

"I grew up with it." Rodolphus shrugged. "Though I didn't learn the curse properly until I was around . . . Fourteen?"

"And what about you, Dora?"

"I—Well I—" Dora sighed deeply, holding her hands up in defeat. "I was twelve— _Although_ , that was only on spiders." The witch glared at the scoff of amusement next to her.

"How on earth are you supposed to learn with spiders? They can't tell you if you're doing it right." He said. "You need to at least practise on a House Elf."

"Fine." Delphi grinned as she jumped to her feet, drawing her wand. "Let's get the house elf."

"No." Dora stood from her seat. "Put your wand away."

"But I want to learn!"

"And you will learn." Dora drew her wand, moving the coffee table out of the way with one swift motion. "But you've never seen it—well, not properly."

"Shall I summon the elf?" Rodolphus asked, smirking slightly. "Or are you going to fetch some spiders?"

"Very funny." Dora rolled her eyes. "But no, you're right; Delphi needs to practise on someone who can tell her if she's doing it right. I thought you would like to volunteer?"

"Ha! Very funny."

"Aww." Dora pouted, speaking in an imitation of her mother's childish tone. "Scared I'll hurt you? Can't cope with a little pain."

"Don't talk like that." Rodolphus winced, settling his emotions as memories of his late wife flooded back to him. "I'm not scared—and I can more than cope. Better than you could."

Dora rolled her eyes, motioning for her sister to sit down in her vacated seat as Rodolphus stood up. "And if I wasn't feeling sick I would be more than willing to let you curse me, shame really."

"A deep shame." Rodolphus sighed sarcastically as he dropped his wand onto the couch so as not to instinctively curse the girl back. "Sure you can cope with such dark spells? It has been a while."

"Psch. Stop trying to annoy me."

"Stop talking and get cursing." Delphi groaned. "Come on!"

"Patience." Dora smirked, focusing on the man in front of her. "Now Delphi, you need to concentrate. Really think about how much you want to hurt your victim, really revel in their pain—you need to enjoy it. Think about the pain you're putting them through, really want it. It gets easier the more practice you put in."

"And I thought you loved me, Nymphie." Rodolphus teased.

"Nothing personal." Dora laughed. "Are you watching, Delphi?"

"Yes." The girl nodded avidly. "Get on with it!"

Nymphadora rolled her eyes, pointing her wand at the man infront of her and taking a deep breath before she put all of her intent to hurting the man infront of her, hissing. " **Crucio**."

Rodolphus Lestrange tensed instantly, screwing his eyes shut as Delphi watched him with wide eyed intense focus. "Y—You can do better than that Nymphadora."

Nymphadora hissed, twisting her wand as she focused the curse. She couldn't help but laugh as he fell to his knees, gritting his teeth to stop himself yelling out in pain. "See, anyone else may be screaming in agony right now. Unfortunately, Rod has a high high pain threshold, he may or may not have annoyed your parents one too many times." Dora smirked as Rodolphus finally let out, groaning in agony as he fell forward and dug his fingers into the carpet. Delphini sat on the edge of her seat, giggling at Dora's words.

"Dora!" Rodolphus yelled, his voice strained. "You've proven y-your p-point!"

"And here I thought I couldn't cope with such dark spells." Dora laughed as she lifted the curse. "Need a hand getting up?"

"No." Rodolphus hissed, slowly sitting up straight before grasping onto the nearest surface to pull himself to his feet. "Give me a minute."

"No," Delphi pouted. "I want to try."

"Just a minute." Rodolphus mumbled, ignoring the occasional twitch of pain surging through his body. As he turned to face the two women before him he rolled his eyes at Nymphadora holding a pain killing potion out to him. "How am I supposed to know if Delphi's curse works if I can't feel anything?"

"Well she can practise on me." Dora shrugged.

"Nymphadora, Rabastan would not be best pleased." Rodolphus scowled at the woman.

"I can suffer a small crucio just fine." Dora shrugged. "Besides, Delphi can't do that much harm to me."

"Hey!" Delphi protested.

"Delphi, do you want to learn or not?" Rodolphus asked, continuing as the girl nodded. "Then get to it. Take a deep breath, focus, _mean_ it."

"Right." Delphi nodded, closing her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath before looking to Rodolphus. She raised her wand, narrowing her eyes in concentration before she hissed. " **Crucio.** "

Rodolphus hissed instantly, jolting back before rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. "An split second of pain and you lose it. You need to hold the curse, Delphi."

Delphi shook out her arms, glaring at the man before pointing her wand at him and yelling the curse again. It lasted a few more seconds this time, though after the man merely tensed in pain for a few moments Delphini growled in annoyance. "I can do this."

"You can." Dora agreed. "Though I'm more than happy to demonstrate again."

"I'm sure you are." Rodolphus sighed before looking to Delphi. "Come on, you can do it Delphi."

"Right." Delphi glared at Rodolphus, trying to focus before she yelled. " **Crucio!** "

Rodolphus closed his eyes, breathing deeply at the strange sensation. It wasn't so much pain, more discomfort that caused him to want to be very still rather than move and set off more pain. Certainly not the intense agony of the girls older sister's curse. Nevertheless he moved backwards, grasping onto the wall. "Make it stronger." He growled, feeling the girl trying and failing to intensify the curse. "Refocus it." He hissed.

"I'm trying!" Delphi cried, letting up the curse with a gasp for air. "It's hard."

"Well," Dora smiled sympathetically "it takes time, you don't learn it overnight."

"So I'll try again." Delphi went to raise her wand again, glaring as she was faced with Rodolphus pointing his own wand at her.

Rodolphus shook his head. "Put your wand away, you'll wear yourself out."

"I will not! I can go for hours."

"No, you can't." Dora stood again, walking over to the girl and resting a hand on her shoulder only to have her pull away.

"There has to be a better way of learning this." Delphi yelled in annoyance, walking across the room only to suddenly turn and narrow her eyes at the pair. "How did you two learn? Mum taught you, right Dora?"

"Well, yes she taught me after Andromeda taught me the basics but—"

"Then how did she teach you?"

"Delphi," Rod sighed. "You are eleven, you cannot learn the way a Death Eater in training learns."

"Why not?" Delphi demanded.

"Because we don't want to teach you that way, you won't like it." Dora sighed, rubbing her stomach subconsciously.

"I am not a baby!" Delphi snapped. "Teach me. Now."

"Delphi don't talk to us like that." Dora frowned, ignoring the sigh of annoyance from Rodolphus.

"I am The Dark Lords daughter, you're supposed to listen to me!" Delphi growled, apparently losing her temper at lack of getting her own way combined with her unsuccessful attempts at the Cruciatus.

"Delphi, no-one has sworn to serve you." Nymphadora spoke firmly, shaking her head at the girl. "We look after you, we keep you safe, you are a child."

"Delphi I have to agree with Nymphadora," Rodolphus sighed. "you're too young to command anyone. Besides, you must become a powerful witch before anyone will follow you."

"And what would my mother say if she were here?" Delphi raised her head in defiance. "Or my father?"

"Mum was different, mother's do anything their children ask of them." Dora shook her head. "Your father would . . . he would—"

"He would tell you to listen to me!" Delphi snapped. "I want to learn the curse so teach me the curse the right way, teach me how mother taught you."

"Fine!" Dora snapped, pointing her wand at the child as she let her pregnancy hormones get the better of her. "You want to learn, you can learn. But you won't like it."

"Dora—"

"Try me." Delphi cut off Rodolphus, glaring at her sister.

"You need to feel the curse, to understand the pain you intend to put upon others." Dora narrowed her eyes, keeping her wand pointed steadily at the young girl. "You can't hurt people with anger, you may hurt them temporarily—knock them off their feet perhaps—but it won't last and it won't be half as painful as a true curse. You don't know how that feels, the one time you were cursed Rabastan wasn't intending to hurt you truly, he was angry and merely wanted to shock you." Dora looked the girl up and down for a moment before she raised her eyebrows at the girl. "Well, still want to learn Mother's way?"

Delphi stared at the tip of her wand, holding down the worry in her stomach. She could remember Rabastan cursing her, it had hurt badly. If that wasn't a true Cruciatus curse then she dread to think what a full on curse would feel like. Though she refused to show weakness, refused to admit that maybe she didn't think she should learn this way just yet. So she nodded stiffly, looking to her sister with the best defiant look she could, not being able to help but smirk slightly as the flicker of hesitation appeared in the girl. "Unless you're too weak to do it. Maybe you should let Rodolphus try." She rolled her eyes as Rodolphus shook his head, stepping back from the pair as he took a step backwards clearly not wanting to get involved with the sisters.

"Oh I can do it." Dora sighed, unable to keep a stern for too long as she looked down to her sister. Yes, she was annoyingly entitled, short tempered and rude at times, something that was increasing by the day. "Just for a minute, okay?"

"I can cope." Delphi spoke through gritted teeth, pocketing her wand.

"Sure." Dora sighed before straightening up and focusing her gaze on the girl. " **Crucio!** "

Delphini Riddle instantly let out a scream of pain, falling to the floor and clutching onto her skirts tightly. Tears sprung to her eyes, her entire body tightening as she cried out in agony. Though the curse was lifted just as soon as it was started Delphi would have sworn the curse lasted longer than the barely five seconds it was upon her. The girl gasped as she felt a pair of arms around her, looking up to see her sister moving her over to sit on the couch. "Get off of me!" Delphi yelled as she pushed the woman away.

"Delphi I warned you." Dora sighed, stepping back and wrapping both of her arms around her stomach. Her pale features scrunched up in concern for the girl, sighing as Rodolphus walked over and pulled the younger girl onto his lap before running his wand down her spine to ease her small residual pain.

"Delphi, we both warned you." Rodolphus agreed. "There's no shame in it if you're just not ready—"

"I am ready!" Delphi snapped, pushing the man away and jumping to her feet and glaring at the pair of them. "I know I'm ready to learn!"

Dora bit her lip, reaching out for the girl only to wince as she pulled away "Please—"

"I will learn and I'll be better at that curse than even my own mother!" Delphi yelled in fury. "If you two won't teach me I'll teach myself!" with that the girl stormed out of the room, ignoring the two adults calling after her.

Dora groaned, sitting down on the couch and burying her head in her hands. "I'm a terrible person."

"No," Rod shook his head, going over to the liquor cabinet to pour himself a firewhiskey. "you're not. You did as she asked, she's merely too young and hot headed to accept the way things must be done at times. She said she could cope, she clearly couldn't. That girl needs to learn her limits."

"Rod . . ." Dora sighed, waiting for the man to hum in acknowledgement before she carried on. "Should we be listening to her? She isn't just Mum's daughter, she is _his_ daughter. What if . . . Well . . . I don't know."

"He's not coming back Dora." Rodolphus shook his head, sipping on his drink as he moved to sit back next the woman, pulling the forgotten book back onto his lap. "We have to keep her safe, keep her hidden. The fanciful commands of an eleven year old do not always have the best outcomes. We keep her—and Rigel—safe above anything else."

"Right." Dora sighed, resting back into the couch as she let her eyes rest lazily on the book.

"Come on Nymphie, don't dwell on such things." Rodolphus nudged her to sit back up. "You need to learn the Lestrange grimoires. If you want my help concentrate."

"Fine." Dora sighed, looking down to the book as Rodolphus tried to explain the curse he had been showing her before Delphini's interruption. Though her mind was decidedly elsewhere now as all she could think about was the youngest lady of the house hold, her emotions a hormonal mess as she tried to think of how best to deal with Delphini.


	15. Memory Lane

**Yes, this took aeons to write. Not only do I have a bit of trouble characterising Bellatrix (which there is a lot of in this chapter), but I (Dora) meanwhile have quit two jobs, spent some time in the hospital with my grandpa, and am running off to London in a couple days to see Bella. XD These past few weeks have been tumultuous, but now that most of it is calming down, things should be getting back to normal.**

 **Hope you enjoy, and as always, leave us a comment or review! We love you for it all! :D**

 **Dora**

* * *

A few days later, Nymphadora found herself standing in front of the door to the study of the old Manor, sighing as she thought of what she needed to do. She couldn't help but feel nervous, as Andromeda's refusal to go near the room had half rubbed off on her. Finally, she reached out and touched the door, it recognising her magic and swinging open at her touch. Biting her lip, she walked into the room, shutting it softly behind her.

She tried not to think of what Andromeda had hinted about the place as she walked across the room to a cabinet. With a small sigh, she drew her wand, slitting her finger and letting a single drop of blood dispel the wards locking the cabinet. Nymphadora then opened it, sighing as she saw the rows of vials of memories that it contained. "Now which ones...?" Dora sighed to herself. She wasn't sure which memories she wanted to share with Delphi, but she was sure that if Delphi saw the entire cabinet, she wouldn't be able to stop the girl from looking at them all.

Dora shuddered slightly. She wasn't even sure what kind of memories that were in it, probably some from generations back. Dora really did not want to go exploring into them too much...though if she had Andromeda to guide her, and tell her who was who, it might be a bit better. Nymphadora rolled her eyes at the idea of trying to convince Andromeda to enter the study. She was sure the witch would not appreciate that at all.

To her surprise, she felt a slight tap on the wards of the room and looked up to see the door open, Andromeda standing in the doorway. "Merlin, I hate this room," the witch said with conviction. "But I had to see what you're doing. Something to do with Delphi? She is becoming a bit much to handle, isn't she?"

"She...thinks she deserves our servitude," Nymphadora sighed, turning to the brown-haired witch. "Nothing we say can convince her otherwise. And she wants to learn Dark Arts...she's so young, Andromeda..."

"No younger than most pureblood children," Andromeda answered. "But Rigel isn't ready for such things, Dora. You know he's a bit gentle yet for learning what Delphi wants to know."

"Do you know what she wants?" Dora asked as Andromeda walked into the room, wincing as the door shut behind her.

"She wants to know her parents," Andromeda sighed. "And Delphi wants to learn the Dark Arts of her mother."

"She isn't ready," Nymphadora said stubbornly, crossing her arms. "She proved that to us."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the younger witch. "She needs to know about her parents first. Her training comes after. She needs to know how her mother was in order to be who she should be. And of course, none of us well knew her father..."

Nymphadora bit her lip slightly. "Mum left memories locked in a drawer in our room," she said quietly. "I...I haven't seen them. I don't even know what they are. Will you look at them with me, and help me decide what to show Delphi?"

Andromeda nodded with a small sigh. "Which ones are they?"

* * *

A long while later, the two witches emerged from the Pensieve, Andromeda's arm around Nymphadora's shoulders as the witch sniffed. "I don't understand," Nymphadora whispered, swatting away her tears.

"Shall I go get Delphi?" Andromeda said. "It'll give you a moment to yourself. I think we can show them all to her."

"No," Nymphadora muttered. "Not all." She drew her wand and removed a single memory from the Pensieve, locking it back into the cabinet.

"Which one was that?" Andromeda asked thoughtfully.

"Mother and I torturing some helpless member of the Order," Dora muttered. "Oh, and this one—when she went after Remus—I don't understand why she kept that. These Delphi definitely cannot see."

Andromeda nodded. "Well, clear it all out, whatever you think. You can't remove any while Delphi's here, or she'll set to asking questions neither of us want to answer."

Nymphadora bit her lip as Andromeda left the room, purposefully walking down the hall to Delphini's room. She sighed slightly before knocking on the door. "Delphi?" she called.

The door swung open after a moment, Delphi curled up on her bed, Marvolo wrapped around her arm. "What's going on?" she asked her aunt, looking up at the witch.

"Well," Andromeda said thoughtfully, "Dora reminded me today that your mother left memories to you and her. We've set them up for us to look at in the study."

Delphi's mouth opened slightly, the girl sitting up quickly. "Okay," she said, swinging her legs off the bed and putting the wand she'd been using in her pocket. "Let's go."

Andromeda led the way down the hall, knocking on the door to the study before she opened the door and entered the room. Nymphadora looked up at them, motioning them to join her next to the Pensieve, and Delphi immediately stepped up next to her sister. "What kind of memories are they?" she asked Nymphadora.

"Mostly Mother after I was brought back to her," Dora said, biting her lip slightly. "There's a bit of her and me at first, and then...you."

Delphi reached out and entered the memories, Andromeda quickly following, leaving Dora to sigh and join them. The three watched the scene unfold before them

 _The owner of the memory was half-running down the hall, skidding to a halt before she nearly collided with Narcissa Malfoy. The witch tried to persuade her to stop, to wait a moment, but Bella refused, throwing open the door to the dungeons and disappearing down the steps._

 _She cautiously looked into one of the larger cells, her joy at seeing her daughter grown up marred by sorrow that she had missed most of the witch's life, anger that Rodolphus had done this to her-_ she would see that he suffered for that- _and concern that the girl seemed to be injured. "Nymphadora," she breathed, surprised to see her daughter's white hair suddenly blended with red._

 _Bellatrix couldn't understand for the life of her why Nymphadora was scared and angry at her, panicked at the thought that Andromeda might have turned the girl against her. "I would never hurt you," Bella breathed, reaching out to tuck a strand of Dora's hair behind her ear. "You're mine." She gave a small laugh, reaching out and touching the chain on the girl's neck, pulling the locket out. "You have my locket!"_

 _Her daughter looked surprised, then nodded uncomfortably, the girl not seeming to take too well to the news of her true mother. Bellatrix did not comment, hoping that Nymphadora would understand in time and accept that they had had to be apart for a time. She loved her daughter, but could hardly bear the thought that the girl had not known the truth. Anger filled her, and she determined to have her revenge on both Rodolphus and Andromeda, but for now, she would do her best to convince Nymphadora that she meant her no harm._

The scene changed, Bellatrix lying curled on her bed, her eyes wide open in worry. Delphi frowned and was about to ask what was happening when the other two shook their heads at her. They all turned toward the door of Bella's room as it opened.

 _Bellatrix cried out slightly, jumping back toward the head of the bed, only relaxing slightly as Narcissa entered the room. "Bella..." the witch sighed. "What is it now?"_

 _"D-Dora," Bellatrix breathed. "She's gone to get her things...she'll find out_ — _I can't have her leave_ — _I could have gone to get her things_ —"

 _"Find out what?" Narcissa frowned. "Bella, what is it?"_

 _"I_ — _I went back and killed the Mudblood," Bellatrix blurted out, immediately cringing into the pillows. "I had to! I had to keep her from going back! But...Dora will be angry...she thought he was_ — _Cissa, what will I do? She'll hate me for it, and probably never come back, and I couldn't bear to lose her_ — _oh Dora!"_

 _Narcissa watched her sister tremble for a few moments, then went over and stood next to her. "She has been very understanding, Bellatrix," the blonde witch said softly. "Even if she is angry, it can't be changed, and she will accept it."_

 _Bellatrix sat up in alarm. "What if she doesn't come back! She has to come back! Andromeda can't keep her from me, even if I've got to kill her too!"_

 _"No," Narcissa said, almost too quickly, and closed her eyes a moment before saying, "Nymphadora will come back. Andromeda will not try to convince her to stay, especially since the girl has already lost her the Mudblood. Dora will return, Bellatrix."_

 _"I'll have to Obliviate her," Bella muttered, curling up on the bed again. "Or something. I'll do what I have to." She sniffed, whimpering her daughter's name as she planned what to do for whatever mindset Dora came home in. Bella did not notice when Narcissa left the room, too distracted by her varying levels of hysterics._

 _Bellatrix jumped in shock, as her daughter suddenly leaned over the bed, looking sorrowful. "Dora," she gasped, cringing against the head of the bed._

 _"Mother, come off it," Dora sighed._

 _"I'm not sorry!" Bellatrix hissed at her. "Just...sorry it hurt you too." She glared at the girl defiantly, her emotions all tangled together and making her sniff a little._

 _Dora's soft words broke through her fears, the black-haired witch looking at her daughter with a slight hope. "Come here, Mum," Dora said softly, reaching out for her. "It's okay; I understand."_

 _After a moment of doubt, Bellatrix scooted closer to her daughter, tensing slightly as the witch embraced her carefully. Finding she was trembling, Bella leaned her head on the girl's shoulder so she didn't have to look into the girl's sorrowful face._

 _"It's all right," Dora murmured, squeezing her mother gently. "I love you, Mum."_

 _Bellatrix couldn't help remembering Andromeda screaming in horror as she tortured the witch's lover delightedly. She cringed, clinging to her daughter tightly. "She—she loved him, didn't she?"_

 _Nymphadora hesitated before replying, "Yes_ _—and he loved her."_

 _Bellatrix only wondered how Andromeda felt about that for two seconds before she shut the thought out of her mind. "Good," she said. She didn't know exactly how she meant that, whether she was glad they had loved each other, or glad that she'd picked the perfect punishment for her wayward sister._

 _She sniffed as she and Dora lay down in the bed together, the older witch trying to calm enough to rest her mind. It wasn't until she startled awake from a full-on nightmare that she realised she had cried out in fear, her daughter looking at her sleepily. "Stay," Bellatrix pleaded in a whisper, reaching over to grasp her daughter's hand as the girl sat up. "Stay with me. I_ _—I'm sorry that I'm keeping you awake...please stay."_

 _Nymphadora reached over and brushed her mother's hair out of her face. "I'm not leaving you alone tonight," she said firmly. "I'll watch over you as you rest."_

 _Bellatrix shivered slightly to see her daughter's brown eyes looking at her with compassion, the girl probably more influenced by the whole situation than she realised. It was almost as if she had a new Andromeda: one that was loyal, and didn't go running off. "Thanks," she whispered, reaching out to touch Nymphadora's dark brown curls, so much like Andromeda's. "Thank you."_

A third scene began, and Bellatrix was striding down the hall of Malfoy Manor once again, this time with great purpose.

 _She hummed to herself as she half skipped down the hall toward her brother-in-law's room. She had decided that with the lack of Rodolphus, Rabastan might do just as well for Dora to experiment with. She would just round up the man, then go find her daughter._

 _Stepping up to the door, she gave a firm knock, then pushed the door open, not giving the man time to fortify the room against her. She stopped for a moment, seeing he was with someone, and then yelled in shock and fury as she spotted her daughter, mostly naked beneath the man._

 _Rabastan straightened up, a look of shock and embarrassment on his face. "Bellatrix..."_

 _"What_ _—what are you doing?" Bellatrix said, her eyes narrowing in anger. She glared at her daughter to silence her protest, yelling, "What do you think you're doing with_ my daughter _?"_

 _"Well, uh_ _—we were just_ _—" Rabastan stuttered, trying to think of something uncondemning to say._

 _"I know what you were doing!" Bellatrix screeched in rage._

 _"Mum, I'm a grown woman," Nymphadora said hurriedly as she slipped back into her dress._

 _Bellatrix whirled on her. "You are my_ child!"

 _Nymphadora looked at her for a moment, then stepped toward her, trying to get between her and the man she was with. "Mum," she said, as if she were talking to a child herself, "calm down."_

 _Bellatrix saw her daughter wince at the look she was sure was not calm at all. "Look," Dora continued. "It's okay. We_ _—we like each other. It's consensual. It's_ okay. _"_

 _The black-haired witch stared from one to the other, and back to her daughter. It couldn't be, that her daughter had decided she wanted Rabastan Lestrange...could it? She couldn't believe her ears, yet she saw her daughter's earnest expression, and could pick up no sign of distress or harm on the girl._

 _"Well, Bellatrix," Rabastan laughed awkwardly, the sound grating on her nerves, "you did originally want her to be a Lestrange."_

 _This instantly infuriated her, and she whirled and punched him straight in the nose, greatly satisfied as he staggered backward with a yell and half sank to the floor. "Mother!" Nymphadora yelled, running to the man instantly._

 _Bellatrix glared down at the girl. "You have terrible taste in men!" she snapped at the younger witch. "Do you have a thing for men twice your age or something? First a werewolf, and now_ _—_ him _!"_

 _Rabastan seemed surprised at this news, but Dora's mouth fell open in shock. "What?"_

 _"At the Ministry!" Bella hissed at the girl. "Remus Lupin! You deflected a curse from him, I saw you!"_

 _"Mum, that was a mistake..." Nymphadora breathed, too aware of everyone staring at her. "I_ _—I was engaged to him, but when I found out that I was your daughter and got the Mark I called it off." She refused to look at Rabastan._

 _"Don't worry, I fixed it," Bellatrix said with a smirk, proud that she'd covered her daughter's mistake._

 _"You_ _—you_ what _?" Dora said, a look of trepidation coming to her face._

 _"He's dead," Bella proclaimed, rolling her eyes._

 _"Y_ _—you killed him?"_

 _Bellatrix heard her daughter's voice crack slightly, and drew a small breath at the pang it gave her: Dora had loved the man. She had loved Remus Lupin just like she had loved Andromeda's Mudblood, and now Dora had twice as much reason to hate her. Why did she always do that?_

 _Fright rose in Bellatrix, the witch stuttering, "He_ _—he was a distraction. You couldn't go back to him. I couldn't risk it!" She stepped forward, wincing as her daughter cringed away from her. Bella willed the girl to understand as she breathed, "He was scum, Nymphadora. He was an Order member and you are a Death Eater."_

 _Nymphadora was trembling, Bellatrix could see that easily enough even though the girl did her best to put on a pureblood mask. "You're right," the girl said, trying to gather her thoughts and emotions together, though Bellatrix could see the girl crumbling inside. "That's why I took him out of my life. But_ _—"_

 _Bellatrix almost groaned as Dora continued, "Rabastan is a Pureblood and a Death Eater and if I wish to pursue a relationship with him you should not respond by punching him in the face. Rabastan wouldn't hurt me. I'd kill him if he tried before you could even think about it."_

 _Helplessly, she looked from the girl's firm gaze to the man whose nose was now crooked, probably broken. "...do not hurt her."_

 _It was only after Rabastan nodded to her, that she nodded back uncomfortably. With a final look at her daughter, Bellatrix turned and left the room. She fled from that hall, running back toward her room in horror and fear._

 _"Bella!"_

 _The witch jumped, letting out a sound of fright before she rushed into her room and slammed the door. She couldn't talk to anyone: she'd hurt her daughter deeply. Again._

 _She could hear Narcissa on the other side of her door, trying to feel the wards in order to override them and get in, but she knew that with the Death Eater wards in place, Narcissa couldn't override much of anything. "Bella, let me in!" Narcissa called through the door firmly. "Bellatrix!"_

 _"Leave me alone!" she yelled at the door hysterically, tears beginning to stream down her face. She really was going to lose her daughter, out of her own naivety and as much as she did her best to protect the girl from outward influences. "I'm sorry," Bellatrix sobbed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I thought it was for the best."_

 _"Bellatrix!"_

 _"Go away!" Bella screamed, her magic crackling wildly though she kept it from lashing out at anything. She couldn't imagine anything that would hurt more than losing someone she loved, but she hadn't lost Dora. Or at least, she had her back. "Don't leave," Bellatrix cried into the pillow. "I'm trying to protect you...I can't let you love all the wrong people anymore. Getting rid of them is the only way!"_

 _"Bella," Narcissa called to her, sounding worried. "Let me in. It's going to be okay."_

 _"No, no, it's not," Bellatrix cried out. "I've killed everyone that Dora loves, and now she's going to leave me, and be like Andromeda_ _—I don't want her to leave!"_

 _"I know, Bella," Narcissa said through the door, sounding impatient._

 _"You don't know_ anything _!" Bellatrix practically screamed, feeling the magic explode from her hands in an uncontrolled burst of fear and anger._

 _Instantly, the door flew open and Narcissa rushed into the room, Bellatrix sitting up and screaming for her to go away, reaching for her wand. "No," Narcissa said firmly. "Whatever you've done, Bella, cursing me over it will not help anyone."_

 _Bella's entire body shook before she sobbed, "Cissa, she's going to leave me!"_

 _Narcissa sighed and sat down on the bed, wrapping her arms around her sister and holding the hysterical witch. "She knows there were reasons," she told Bella firmly. "She will understand."_

 _"She'll hate me!" Bellatrix whimpered. "She'll run off and be like Andromeda! I can't let her go back to her old ways_ _—I just wanted to fix everything!"_

 _"Who_ _—what happened?" Narcissa changed her question, but Bellatrix knew she was wondering who had died this time._

 _"I_ _—I killed Dora's old love," Bellatrix sniffed, clinging to her sister for comfort. "She couldn't go back to him! He was in the Order, and a werewolf_ _—"_

 _"Lupin?" Narcissa said in shock. "Our Dora_ _—?"_

 _"Yes!" Bellatrix yelled, pulling away from Narcissa. "No. My Dora! So I made sure she couldn't go back."_

 _Narcissa shook her head, disgust plain on her face. "She can definitely do better," the witch said with conviction. "How did she find out about it, though?"_

 _Anger bubbled up in Bellatrix, and she hissed, "Rabastan! That man_ _—I swear to Merlin I'm going to_ kill _him_ _—that man has been sleeping with my daughter_ _—and when I found them_ _—" Bellatrix shuddered in horror. "I told her she has terrible taste in men. And I can do away with Rabastan_ just as well _as I did her werewolf!"_

 _"No one wants to learn that someone they loved was murdered," Narcissa sighed, shaking her head slightly._

 _"I know!" Bellatrix cried, pulling away from her sister and throwing herself back onto the bed. "I didn't know she cared so much, but I can't help it! I had to do it!" She whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself as she gasped, "I_ _—I'll make sure no one harms her. No one will hurt her. But I have to protect her. I have to make sure she chooses the right path." Her tears broke through again, and she wept, "Dora, I'm sorry. I can't change anything, but I want to do what's best for you. Oh, Dora!"_

 _She barely felt her sister's hand on her back as she cried and muttered into the sheets. There was no comfort for her, nothing that could be said or done. She would have to try to persuade Dora_ _—but she'd hurt the girl terribly. There would be no convincing her that her mother had meant well._

Nymphadora and Andromeda looked around in surprise as they were drawn out of the memories, Delphi frowning at both of them. "It's just Dora," she scowled. "There's nothing about me!"

"Nothing?" Dora rolled her eyes. "It was on my wedding night that Mother conceived you with the Dark Lord."

"Ugh," said Andromeda before she could stop herself, looking away from Delphini. "Sorry, Delphi. I love you, you know."

"Yeah," Delphi smirked at her. "Let's see about Mum and me, okay?"

Dora shrugged, motioning the girl back to the Pensieve. "It goes into that next. If you only had an ounce of patience _—"_ she half yelled out as Delphi reached out and pulled her into the memories with her.

 _Bellatrix sat still in her chair as every other Death Eater scrambled to his feet to leave the room. She barely registered Rabastan half dragging Nymphadora from the room as she stared vacantly at the table. She had just shouted out seconds before because of something her Master had said to Nagini. She couldn't understand why, amidst the hissing, her mind had understood what the two had said._

 _The witch wasn't sure what it could mean, though she was awfully confused and sure she'd done something wrong. She knew she hadn't meant to do anything wrong. She was faithful._

 _"Bellatrix."_

 _Her Master's voice broke through her jumbled thoughts and she scrambled to her feet, walking toward him. She hadn't done something wrong, had she? Of course she hadn't meant to, but...Bella moved to kneel before her Lord._

 _She shivered in delight at his touch when he grasped her left arm and kept her from kneeling all the way, raising her to her feet. "My Lord," she breathed, wanting to say something more, but finding herself at a loss for words. She couldn't look into the face of her master and not be filled with memories of their times together.  
_

 _She was his, had been his since she had first taken the Dark Mark. It was her intense loyalty that had earned her the privilege, even before her stay in Azkaban and all. She shuddered, forcing herself to look into the man's eyes. It had all been worth it._

 _The Dark Lord looked into her eyes, letting a moment pass before he said quietly, "Bellatrix...you have been my mossst faithful ssservant for yearsss..."_

 _"Alwaysss, my Lord," Bellatrix whispered, her breath catching in her throat. She didn't understand why he was using such a strange tone with her, why he was speaking the way he was. "My Lord," she said desperately, "what isss it? What have I done?"_

 _"Oh, Bella," the man suddenly laughed, and reached out to cup her face in his hand. "Bellatrix_ _—_ _you have done everything right, exactly asss I have asssked you to."_

 _She leaned into his touch without a word, watching his face as she longed for him to explain to her what he meant. He stroked her face gently with the tips of his fingers, then smirked, "I believe, Bellatrix, that we have conceived a child."_

 _Bellatrix frowned at the words, not understanding what he meant until he pulled her closer, wrapping one arm around her back and placing his other hand on her side. Her eyes opened wide and she cried, "My Lord_ _—"_

 _He touched his wand to her stomach, and in a instant, the two knew the truth. "A child, Bellatrix," he said softly. "You are carrying my future heir."_

 _Her mouth opened slightly in shock, and seconds later, her breath was taken away as her Master pressed a kiss to her lips. She returned it for a fraction of a second before he drew away from her. "My Lord," she groaned in longing, one hand reaching out for him. She merely giggled when a hex stung her hand, and she looked up at him playfully._

 _"You forget yourself, Bella," he said sternly._

 _"It's too easy," Bellatrix pouted at him._

 _"Easy?" the man raised an eyebrow. "Ah, Bellatrix. You have a higher duty now: to carry this child to life."_

 _The immediate fear she felt must have shown on her face, because her Master continued, "Every caution will be taken. You will ward the child, and I will add protection as well. You will not be going out on any missions while you are carrying_ _—there will be no disagreement on this, Bellatrix."_

 _The witch pouted, though she couldn't help smiling as he touched her face again, a small smirk on his lips. "Only a handful of people can know," he continued thoughtfully, tracing his finger over the curve of her lips. "You and I, of course, Nymphadora and her husband will be told. That leaves your husband, whom I will deal with upon his return."_

 _Bellatrix made a sound of disgust, and her Master chuckled. "You amuse me, Bella."_

 _"Yes, my Lord," she answered willingly, then looked up at him again. "What about Narcissa? May I tell her?"_

 _"Yes," he said. "Your sister must know, as she will have to be at the birth."_

 _Bellatrix bit her lip slightly, then nodded. "My Lord, I am honoured," she breathed. "But_ _—how did you know? What happened during the meeting?"_

 _He regarded her for a moment, then smirked, "You understood the Parseltongue, Bella, and also spoke it as well. That is how I knew the child had been conceived, though I did not expect it to work so quickly..."_

 _Bellatrix giggled, her Master's hand resting on her waist. "But you, as I said, have always been my Most Faithful," he said. "And this must be a fairly powerful child to affect your ability to understand Parseltongue. Especially so soon. I was not aware that this sort of thing could happen, though I expected the child to speak, just as I do."_

 _"Of course, my Lord," Bellatrix breathed, realising even more the tremendous responsibility and privilege she'd been given. "I will do everything I can for this child."  
_

 _"I expect nothing less," the man said, stroking her hair back from her face."You would not despise such an honour, would you, Bella?"_

 _"Never, My Lord!" she cried in horror, though she did not move from the spot. She looked into his face even as his hand slowly wandered over her body. Her thoughts turned once again to their special nights together, of pain and passion freely flowing between them._

 _"Such lust, Bellatrix," came his voice of cold amusement. Their laughter subsided after a moment, and he leaned close to her. "We will have time for that later," he murmured against her cheek. "For now, you may tell the rest of your family of the child."_

 _Nagini stirred from near the fireplace and hissed, "The Colourful One waitsss outssside! I can tassste her in the air!"_

 _Bellatrix laughed at the description of Nymphadora, and said, "May I go, then?"_

 _To her shock, he kissed her once again, this time strongly, dominantly, and she clung to him, returning the kiss for all she was worth. "Go," he said, finally pushing her away._

 _Her starry eyes cleared as she walked to the door, half-dazed. She looked back at her Master one more time before she opened the door and left the room._

 _She almost tripped over her daughter, who was seated against the wall and immediately asked, "Mum, are you all right?"_

 _Bellatrix let out a small giggle and leaned down to pull her daughter to her feet. She would tell her daughter in their secret room._

Delphi was giggling, and started to say something to Andromeda and Nymphadora, but they both shushed her. "Just a couple more," Dora said to her. "This one is of you and your father."

Without argument, Delphi shut up and turned her attention to the memory.

 _Bellatrix lay back in the bed, cradling her newborn baby Delphini. She looked into the child's face, smiling in awe before she looked up to her first daughter. "Call Him."_

 _She watched her baby closely for a moment, then looked up as her Lord entered the room. She scrambled to sit up more, but he motioned her to relax even as he sent Nymphadora out of the room. Bellatrix cradled her little one, wondering what the child's father would think of his daughter._

 _She waited, practically breathlessly, as he stood there, watching the sleepy child in her arms. Bellatrix wanted him to say something, anything. "She_ _—she is a Metamorphmagus, my Lord," Bellatrix murmured. "She will be a very powerful Death Eater."_

 _Baby Delphi gave a small yawn, her cheek against her mother's breast. Her mother smiled down at her before looking up to the man again. "Master? Your daughter..."_

 _"Hush, Bella," he said firmly, stepping closer to them and reaching out toward his silver-haired baby girl._

 _Bellatrix almost held her breath as Delphi startled, looking up toward her father in surprise. The man's expression did not change, though as the child gripped his finger, he hissed softly to her in Parseltongue. "Already strong, my Young One? You will grow to be sssecond only to me...my daughter...my heir."_

 _Delphi's dark eyes focused on her father's face for a moment before the man drew his hand away from her, but the first thing she did was to cry at the loss of his touch._

"Father," Delphi breathed, finding herself sitting on the floor near the Pensieve. "He...he cared."

Nymphadora's heart ached for her sister, though she didn't dare contradict the girl. "He wanted to teach you himself, to show you all the things he'd taught Mother and more," she said softly, glancing to Andromeda at her side.

Delphini sniffed slightly. "I wish I could have known him," she said. "I _—_ I would have liked to have a real Father."

Andromeda stepped forward with a small sigh. "Well, his gift of Parseltongue remains with you," she told the girl, helping her to her feet and holding back a yell of surprise at Marvolo's sudden appearance from Delphi's sleeve. "Obviously."

The girl giggled. "Nagini called Dora 'The Colourful One.' Isn't that funny?"

Marvolo hissed to her, and Delphi listened intently before nodding. "I guess all serpents know you as that, then," she told her sister.

"At least it's true," Dora smirked.

"I _—_ I guess Mum really loved us both," Delphi mumbled before finally reaching out to hug Nymphadora. "I understand why she did all those things to you and those you loved, but still..."

"It's difficult to understand Mother sometimes," Nymphadora said to Delphi. "But when we're both ready to discuss Mother's life in an adult way, then you will know everything. For now, I want you to know that she loved you, and protected you the best way she could. She even made me promise to take care of you in case anything happened to her. It's one of the reasons I was able to convince Rabastan that both you and Andromeda had to stay."

Delphi wrinkled her nose. "He never liked Mum."

Andromeda sighed. "No, he didn't. She's difficult to get along with, as she didn't even respect her own husband."

Nymphadora shook her head at the thought. "I'm just glad Mum's finally at rest. And shall we go get ourselves a snack? I'm starving!"

Delphi laughed, leading the way to the door as Marvolo hissed to her again. "As long as we have something for Marvolo."

"Of course," Dora agreed, the three leaving the study for the kitchens. "As long as you feed him elsewhere."

Delphi rolled her eyes at the stipulation, but didn't argue. After all, there was only so much to be gained from her sister and aunt in one day.

* * *

It was a few days after their little trip down memory lane that Nymphadora sought out Andromeda Tonks. She had of course had the chance to talk to her since then but not quite alone and she was still having an internal battle as to if she was in the right to seek Andromeda out or not without Rabastan knowing. The woman took a deep breath as she raised her hand to the dark wood of the door, mentally reprimanding herself for being such a chicken about the whole situation as she quickly knocked the door. As she waited for a reply Dora was beginning to consider if she could get away with running away and forgetting the whole thing. Of course it was at that moment that Andromeda decided to open the door.

She was already in her nightgown, her silk dressing gown wrapped around her, her curls tied back in a loose ribbon with a book clasped in the hand that wasn't currently ensuring her dressing gown remained tightly wrapped around herself. "Dora," Andromeda frowned slightly before she stood to the side to let the girl into her room "come in."

"Thanks . . ." Dora walked past the woman, unable to help but smirk slightly at her look "I haven't seen you looking this relaxed in a while."

"You spend a day dealing with Delphi wanting to learn every dark spell under the sun and tell me you do not deserve to relax a little." Andromeda sighed, walking over to put her book down on the bedside table before turning to Nymphadora.

"Oh she did that to me the other day. Asked me to teach her every 'Death Eater spell I've ever known' . . . maybe when she's a bit older." Dora shrugged.

"See how long that lasts." Andromeda smirked before she finally sat down on her bed, tilting her head slightly to look at her once daughter. "What's on your mind?"

"What makes you think I have something on my mind?" Dora couldn't help it as her cheeks went red slightly, walking over to the bed and sitting on the end, her hand subconsciously going to her stomach.

"I know you." Andromeda remarked. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Dora frowned as she brought her legs up onto the bed, crossing them in front of her as she ignored Andromeda disapproving roll of her eyes. "Nothing's wrong . . . I'm . . . I'm pregnant." Dora watched Andromeda's face intently for her reaction, though she sighed at the knowing smile on her lips. "You guessed already, didn't you?"

"Perhaps." Andromeda nodded, holding back a smirk. "Rodolphus and I talked about it the other night actually."

"I'm not sure what to be more surprised at!" Dora's eyes widened slightly as she teased the woman before shaking her head. "What gave it away?"

"Well, Rabastan is sticking unusually close to you recently, you've started become very fussy with what you eat, you've stopped wearing corsets—little things." Andromeda said. "Rodolphus suspected it because apparently Rabastan is 'far too happy' at the moment. He asked my opinion on his reasoning and we both managed to put two and two together."

"Oh." Dora looked down to her lap, fiddling with the fabric of her dress.

"So," Andromeda began, looking to the woman on her bed with a sympathetic gaze "I take it there's a reason you've come to me about this. How far along are you anyway? Does Rabastan know you're here?"

"Almost three months and no." Dora bit her lip, looking to Andromeda with her deep brown eyes full of innocent fear and despair "I can't do this. I'm terrified. What if I lose it—again? What if he gets upset if it's a girl? I mean I know he has a boy but more than one boy is good, right? What if he gets annoyed if it's a girl? What if Rigel doesn't want a sibling? What if someone comes again and—"

"Nymphadora Lestrange, stop." Andromeda spoke firmly, hesitating for a moment before she held an arm out for the girl. She waited until Nymphadora crawled up beside her, resting on her shoulder as she let out a breath. "Calm down, you babble too much when you're not calm." The woman smiled slightly, stroking her hair gently as she hugged her close. She hadn't held Dora like this in many years, not since before Dora had been taken to live with her true mother, though she couldn't help but slightly enjoy having the girl in her arms as she comforted her. A fleeting thought of what her late sister would think of the pair right now flew through her mind for a moment before she snapped her mind back to reality. "Dora, you are a good wife, a brilliant mother. You've clearly made Rabastan very happy. It is true that most Pureblood husbands want more than one son—or even only sons—though I don't think Rabastan is very traditional in that sense. I daresay he may enjoy having a daughter. Rigel would love a sibling, that you can pretty much say is certain. And Dora—" Andromeda paused as she lifted her hand to Nymphadora's chin, raising her head slightly as she stared directly into her glistening eyes "losing the child was not your fault. You need to stop blaming yourself. Rabastan does not blame you—simply be happy in that. It just goes to show how much he loves you, I can assure you many other pureblood husbands have put their wives through hell when it was never their fault either. These things happen."

"B—But what if it happens again?" Dora couldn't help but let a few tears escape, trying her hardest not to let her emotions fully get the better of her.

"It won't." Andromeda kissed her head, hugging her into herself again as she let Dora close her eyes to stop her tears.

"But what if it does?"

"Don't think about it Dora." Andromeda sighed, rubbing her back comfortingly. "If you stress yourself you stress the baby . . . if something happens we will deal with it. For now, do not worry over something that may never happen."

"O—Okay . . ." Dora sniffed.

"Would you like to stay here for a little while?" Andromeda asked, smiling when Dora nodded slightly. "Okay . . . Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks." Dora murmured, keeping her eyes shut though the slightest smile came to her lips as she rested a hand on her stomach. Andromeda always knew the right things to say and for now she was more than happy to rest in the witch's arms and forget the worries that had been constantly running through her mind since she discovered she was pregnant.


	16. Behind the Door

**Thanks for all your reviews, favourites and follows so far. Dora and I are going a little crazy at the moment, because Dora has flown over from America to come and visit me in London. Oh the idea's that fly around when we are together. haha**

 **Anyway! Please do enjoy this chapter and please leave a review if you have a moment (we loves them).**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora walked down the corridor to Black Manor, one hand placed on the 20-week pregnancy bump as she tried to remember exactly where the door she wanted was. Having lived in the house for the past ten years you would have thought that Nymphadora would be familiar with the layout of the Manor, though truth be told there were one—perhaps two—rooms that seemed to . . . move from her. It was as if Cygnus had charmed certain doors to never stay in the same place. It should have come to no surprise to her, they had all been finding little 'surprises' in the Manor sporadically since their first arrival. It was with a small grin Dora found the door that she had been trying to trace down for the past week. She walked up to the solid oak, letting her finger run along the detailing on the wood before her eyes rested on the name delicately engraved on a small wooden plaque.

"Andromeda . . ." Dora breathed, triumphant in her discovery. She quickly looked both ways down the corridor, as if by merely speaking the woman's name she would unintentionally summon her. "Right." Dora nodded to herself, she swallowed hard before she quickly put her hand on the door knob, the other still protectively on her stomach. She let out a gasp of pain, a mere jolt really but still enough to shock her. Clearly even years past her father's death he still had the ability to keep a hold of certain aspects of the Manor that was now her own. "Right," she whispered to herself "you can do this." She closed her eyes, pressing her hand flat against the door as she reached out to the wards of the room. "Oh." She whimpered, feeling the immediate rejection of the wards though she was determined to power through. It took a few minutes, untwining the fine tendrils of the spell slowly and carefully, though eventually she managed it.

Her hair was bright pink as she heard the lock of the door undoing itself. She had no idea why she was so happy, no real idea why she was so determined to get into Andromeda's old room. Perhaps she was simply curious as to what the room of a teenaged Andromeda Black looked like? Perhaps it was the mere thought of having a room in a house she was supposed to be in charge of be of limits to her? Perhaps it was the fact that she didn't know what was in there that simply made her have to know? Whatever it was, Nymphadora was more than excited to see inside. With one last look down the corridor she turned the door knob and quickly entered the room, quickly turning and pushing the door to only be slightly ajar (she was hesitant to shut it fully for a slight fear of the room trying to seal itself or relocate with her inside).

The witch took a moment to calm herself, drawing her wand as she slowly turned to face the room. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, though perhaps it was not quite what she had found. It was quite alike to Delphi's and Rigel's rooms, old dark oak furniture dotted placed around the room, a large ornate wardrobe, two bedside tables framed a large four poster double bed, the dark purple silk sheets made carefully with the matching curtains drawn and tied around the posters. The room was sparse of much decoration, though from the looks of the odd pins on the walls where portraits had clearly once hung and spaces between the odd lamp and odd book on the surfaces suggested that that had not always been the case. It did not surprise her to think that Andromeda would have taken the photograph's with her for sentimental reasons, the trinkets as something to either keep or most likely sell on to fund Andromeda Black's new life with her muggle born lover. Dora couldn't help it as the sadness of the reality of what she was looking at hit her. The last time that Andromeda would have been in this room, a scared yet hopeful young girl ready to leave her family and all she had once known behind her in pursuit of true love. She swatted away a tear. All that Andromeda had once given up, once ran from in hopes of a better life, all to have her end up in the same house with her true love dead at her own sister's hand whilst she was forced to conform back into her Pure Blood ways in order to keep what little family she had left safe and near.

"Fucking hormones." Dora cursed, swatting away more tears as she caught a glimpse of her previously pink hair fading to a mousey brown.

She shook her head, continuing her inspection of the room. She looked back to the door, only now realising the one thing misplaced in the room. She walked over slowly, nudging the broken shards of crystal vase with the tip of her shoe. She frowned in confusion, unsure of why in a room left in such an otherwise pristine shape had such a thing in it. She sighed as she came to the realisation that Andromeda may have not been alone the last time she left this room. Dora turned, her eyes scanning the walls until she found what she was looking for. There, at around head height on the opposite wall, was a scorch mark. Clearly Andromeda had been disturbed as she had finished her packing, Nymphadora was sure she could guess who would try and curse her to stay. She thought for a few moments before she decided that it was probably time to leave the room, determined to seal it back up again in attempts to remove the evidence that she had entered the room in the first place. Dora somehow had the other whelming feeling that she had overstepped her mark, walking in on what was a very personal snapshot of Andromeda's past life, a life most likely best forgotten. It was just as she turned, her hand reaching out for the door knob ready to exit, that she heard it. A sudden rumble came from behind her. She tightened her grip on her wand, turning to face the room at large. It was then that she saw it again, the tremble of the ornate wardrobe as something rattled from within.

"For Merlin's sake." Dora muttered to herself, pointing her wand at the wardrobe. "Probably just a boggart . . . more than capable of dealing with that on my own." She bit her lip as the wardrobe jostled again. "Right . . . stay calm, collected. . . think of things that make you strong, that don't make you scared . . . Oh pull yourself together woman!"

With a quick flick of her wand the doors flew open. Time seemed to still, each second seeming like an hour, until in a puff of black smoke a figure emerged from the depths of the wardrobe. Nymphadora's eyes widen in shock and confusion as Rabastan Lestrange stepped forward, his face lit with fury.

"Rab . . ." Dora squeaked, her wand lowering for a moment as she temporarily forgot that the thing before her was not in fact her husband. "What . . .?"

"What? What? What?" Rabastan spat. "You're pathetic! You're a pathetic excuse of a wife, why I ever married you I will never know."

Dora squeezed her eyes shut, pointing her wand at the boggart. "R— _Riddikulus_!"

"Ha!" Rabastan sneered. " _You_ are ridiculous! Just like your mother! You lost our child! I bet you did it on purpose, it's entirely your fault. _Just like your mother_ you ran into battle when I told you not to! You killed our unborn child for your own obsessive need to go head first into a duel!"

"I—" Dora wrapped her non-wand arm around her stomach, tears springing to her eyes. "I didn't . . . I'm not . . ."

"You did and you are!" the boggart hissed, drawing his wand from within his robes. "I should be more like Rodolphus, put you in your place! How I ever thought you would be a proper Pure Blooded wife I do not know! Raised by a blood traitor bitch and her mudblood, with Bellatrix for your mother! You had no hope. If I could leave you I would."

"Shut up! _Riddikulus_!" Dora yelled, crying out as the spell failed, falling back into the wall as tears began to fall down her face. "Stop it!"

"Why should I? You deserve it! You're a murderer, a terrible mother, you were a pathetic excuse of a Death Eater, an awful daughter, a terrible wife! You killed our child!"

"No!" Dora screamed, reaching her hands up to cover her ears as she slipped down the wall.

"Dora?" Rabastan called out "Dora!"

"Leave me alone!" she cried, her hormones getting the better of her as she screwed her eyes shut. She screamed out as she felt arms around her, her eyes snapping open to see Rabastan's faces inches from her own. "I'm sorry!" she whimpered through her tears "I didn't mean to lose our baby; I shouldn't have run out to duel! I'm not my mother! I'll be a good wife, I swear. Don't leave me, don't hurt me— _please_!"

"What? I would never—" Rabastan shook his head at his wife, pulling back slightly as Nymphadora saw the boggart still leering at her. "Oh _Dora_."

Rabastan took a deep breath before he kissed his sobbing wife's head, drawing himself tall as he stood in front of her. The clone of himself smirked before suddenly it transformed before their eyes. The one figure turned into two. Nymphadora was weak, broken on the floor, her usual dress exchanged for the prison rags of Azkaban as a Dementor loomed above her. The creature loomed forward, the witch on the floor shivering in pain in fear as it grasped her face, ready to perform its fatal kiss. Rabastan closed his eyes, Dora watching through her own tear filled dark eyes as he clenched his fists, taking a deep breath before he slowly raised his wand.

" _Riddikulus_!" his voice boomed throughout the room and with a sudden flash of light and puff of smoke the boggart version of Nymphadora and the Dementor were clad in traditional tango clothes. Dora couldn't help but let out a choked huff of laughter as the figures danced for a few movements before with a spin across the room it evaporated. Rabastan stood still for a moment before he slowly turned, looking down at his wife on the floor with a sad smile and a sigh. "Dora . . ."

"I'm sorry." She sniffed, wiping her tears away as she looked up from her position sat against the wall on the floor. "I'm sorry . . ."

"Dora . . ." Rabastan frowned, getting down on to the floor beside his wife as he wrapped his arms around her. He kissed her head, stroking her hair as he tried to calm her.

"I—" Dora sniffed "H—How much of that did you hear?"

"Of the rant of my crazy evil twin?" Rab joked before squeezing his wife to comfort her "Enough to know that it is absolutely nonsense. Dora—" he sighed again before he sat back, adjusting Dora so he could look into her face as he brushed the hair out of her face "do you know what I think of, when I'm jolted awake in the middle of the night, the memories of Azkaban and the Dementors haunting me? Hmm?" the man smiled slightly as she shook her head, looking to her with her beautiful dark eyes "I think of happy things. I think of you, of our wedding day and how beautiful you were—and still are—how amazing you are and how lucky I am to have you, I think of Rigel and how thankful I am for him and again you because if it weren't for you I would never have become a father, then I think of our little one that will be here soon." Rabastan couldn't help but grin as Dora smiled slightly, placing a hand on the bump of his wife's stomach before pressing a gentle kiss to his wife's lips. "I love you, Nymphadora Lestrange. I—I'm sorry I ever hurt you but I will never do that again and _you know_ I do not blame you for . . . you know. You never need to be scared of me saying any of those things to you because I never will, I would never even think such things. Okay?"

Dora nodded, wiping the last of her tears away as she forced a small smile. "Okay . . ."

"Good." Rab kissed her gently before pulling back and frowning slightly "What are you doing in here anyway?"

"That's exactly what I would like to know." Dora screwed her eyes shut, swearing under her breath as the woman's voice came from her left.

Andromeda Tonks stood with her arms folded, her right hand clenched under her arm most likely in order to stop her instinctively cursing the woman on the floor. Her face was lit with fury, her Black eyes somehow seeming darker and more threatening than normal. It was when Nymphadora realised that the roots of Andromeda's hair had taken on a fire red hue that she knew she was in trouble; it was rare that Andromeda let her emotions take over her physical appearance. Dora took a deep breath before she tried to get up from the floor, thankfully taking her husbands helping hand as she got to her feet. She went to speak, opening and closing her mouth for a moment as she tried to think of what to say to Andromeda. All she could think of was how similar Andromeda looked to Bellatrix when she was angry.

"I—I wanted to take a look." Dora forced a calm look onto her face even though underneath she was doing nothing but worry as to what Andromeda was going to say or do. She relaxed slightly as Rabastan's arm snaked around her lower back and gave her a reassuring discreet squeeze.

"After I specifically told you not to?" Andromeda snapped.

"With all due respect, Andromeda." Rabastan raised an eyebrow at the woman before her. "Nymphadora is head of The House of Black now. She owns this manor and every room in it, it is entirely within her rights to go into any room she pleases in her own property."

"I asked one thing!" Andromeda glared at Nymphadora, the girl shuffling on the spot awkwardly as she was unsure of what to say or do. "You told me you wouldn't come in here!"

"Do not shout at my pregnant wife, Andromeda!" Rabastan yelled back, moving himself to stand slightly in front of the woman beside him.

Andromeda turned her glare to the man, seemingly chewing on the many words she no doubt wanted to scream at him. "Stay out of this, Rabastan." Andromeda eventually growled.

"How dare—"

"Rab please." Dora shook her head, putting a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him. She winced as he pulled away from her grasp, her eyes widening as his hand inched towards his wand. " _Calm down_."

" _Me_ calm down?" Rabastan spat "Tell her to calm down."

"Both of you calm down." Rodolphus Lestrange sighed as he appeared behind Andromeda in the door way. Nymphadora almost sighed in relief as the appearance of her brother-in-law made her husband relax the hand previously reaching for his wand. "What's going on?" Rodolphus frowned as he looked around the room. "What are you doing in here? I thought you were leaving this room sealed?"

"I—" Nymphadora went to speak until she was drowned out by a yell of fury she had never heard from Andromeda before, to be honest it was a sound she had only ever heard coming from her biological mother. Dora's hair shot white in shock, her hand gripping onto the fabric of her dress covering her unborn child as she watched Andromeda storm from the room. The three remaining adults staring after her in stunned silence. It felt like at least a few minutes had passed before the silence was broken, yet it was seconds later that Rodolphus shook his head and looked to the couple.

"What happened?" Rodolphus asked.

Dora shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself as she glanced to the open wardrobe door as she whispered. "She's right, I shouldn't have come in here."

"You have every right to be in here." Rodolphus shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Merlin knows why she cares so much . . . Have you been crying?"

Dora instantly shook her head, morphing her features to get rid of what she knew must be puffy red eyes to give away such things that gave away her previous tears. "I'm fine."

"She found a boggart." Rabastan muttered, looking to Nymphadora to see if she was okay.

"You tried to take on a boggart alone?" Rodolphus gave a tut of disapproval "Whilst pregnant and hormonal? Really Dora, everyone knows it's best to face a Boggart with more than one person to confuse the thing."

"I wasn't thinking! Happy? I was stupid." Dora snapped, her hair flashing red before Rab reached out and placed a gentle hand on her stomach.

"Dora, calm." Rab soothed, sighing as Dora nodded slightly.

"I'm going to apologise to Andromeda."

Rodolphus scoffed "Apologise for going into a room in your own home? Makes sense."

"Shut up, Rodolphus." Rabastan groaned. "Dora, don't. Go check on Rigel or something, calm down."

"No." Dora shook her head, already walking across the room and barging past Rodolphus.

"You're becoming too much like your mother girl." Rodolphus remarked.

Dora yelped as the sound of a hex hitting the man rung out, making Rodolphus fall backwards at the wall. She didn't wait, scurrying out of the room.

"She is nothing like Bellatrix! She is not your wife so do not talk to her as such!" Rabastan yelled, Dora hearing him as she paused in the corridor to look back towards the still open door of Andromeda's childhood room.

Barely a second had gone by as she watched Rabastan storm from the room. They locked eyes, Dora unsure of what to do. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, mouthing a thank you to the man before he gave her a curt nod. With that he turned, leaving Dora alone to decide what to do in regards to Andromeda herself. She didn't wait for Rodolphus to emerge, quickly walking off in the direction of Andromeda's current room. She wasn't sure what to say to the witch. She wasn't sure how she could make what she had done any better. A part of her also wasn't sure if she did not truly believe what Rabastan had said. Black Manor was technically her home, she owned it. Why shouldn't she be able to go into any room she desired within the house? She shook her head with a sigh as she reached Andromeda's current bedroom, quickly knocking on the door before she lost her nerve to do so.

She was greeted with silence, though she could feel the fresh ward on the room and knew that Andromeda was inside. "Dromeda . . ." Nymphadora bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before she called out again. "Andromeda I know you're in there . . . Answer me . . . Fine." Dora huffed, placing her hand on the door as she simply overrode the wards on the room, quickly stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her.

" _Nymphadora_." Andromeda looked to her once daughter in the reflection of her vanity mirror. "Did I not teach you to respect other's privacy?"

"Yes." Dora shrugged slightly, rubbing her stomach subconsciously. "Though I do believe I can easily pinpoint several instances growing up when you demonstrated that the owner of a house has the ability to override any wards."

"A power you've decided to exercise twice in one day." Andromeda forced her voice to remain as calm as possible, something that merely proved to make her seem angrier in Nymphadora's eyes. "Seems like you're more like your mother than I initially thought."

"That's not fair!" Dora snapped, unable to help herself. "If doing that makes me more like my mother then you are too, seeing as you did it just as much—she never did that to me."

"You were a child when you lived with me, Nymphadora." Andromeda hissed, finally standing up from the small stool in front of her mirror. "I was your—I was your guardian. I had every right to pull down whatever ward you could place on your room. If Rigel warded himself into his room and you needed to speak to him—if you were worried about him—would you not pull it down? "

"I—" Dora thought for something to say for a few moments before she threw up her hands in surrender, walking over to Andromeda's bed and sitting on the edge of it as she looked up at the woman before her. "I'm sorry. I truly am. You asked me not to go in to that room and I did. I was curious . . . confused . . . For merlin's sake I am pregnant, hormonal, bored, fed up with being trapped in this bloody manor—Rab hasn't let me go out under a morph to get supplies in months! I mean I can't blame him really but I'm going stir crazy. I _know_ I should have respected your wishes but I didn't. I'm not good at making judgements at the moment, as I have just proven with that bloody boggart." Dora took a breath, both of her hands nervously clutching onto the fabric covering the swell of her stomach. "I just . . . I didn't understand why you refused to go in there . . . I thought there might be something in there."

Andromeda looked to the girl, her arms firmly crossed across her chest. She watched her sat there nervously, unsure if the girl knew that her hair had turned her natural untamed black curls. It was a look that made Andromeda soften slightly. Every time Dora had been unsure of her emotions, confused, overwhelmed or generally unsure of herself she reverted to that look, so similar to her mother—to her sister. Andromeda Tonks Née Black sighed deeply before she sat down on the bed next to her, staring at the floor as she tried to decide what to say—how to say it.

"That room . . . it marks a time of my life that I would sooner forget. It brings back memories. It reminds me of a time when I had two sisters that loved me—we all loved each other, we would have done anything for each other to protect each other and be there for one another . . ." Andromeda swallowed hard as she tried to retain her composure before carrying on. "Though now it simply reminds me of where I got cursed out of my own bedroom by my furious sister— _your mother_ —the things she said . . . I probably deserved the most of it, though that didn't make it any easier to bare . . . It's the room where my father—well you know about that . . . it holds happy memories as well as the bad ones and they hurt just as much as each other. I didn't want that room unsealed, I wanted to pretend that that part of my life was gone . . . it's hard to be here, Dora. It's hard to be back in the manor that so many things happened in, but I do it for you. All I asked was that you left that one part of the Manor untouched, sealed . . ."

Nymphadora looked to the witch beside her, her heart breaking for her as she watched a single tear fall down her cheek. The younger witch bit her lip, trying her hardest not to cry herself as she slowly let her left hand slip over to Andromeda's own. She gently took her hand, holding back a sigh of relief as she didn't immediately pull away. After a few moments of silence, she cautiously rested her head on the other woman's shoulder, relaxing as she felt Andromeda soften slightly.

"I . . . I'm sorry . . ." Dora breathed "I didn't think . . . I just—I thought something might be in there. You know what I'm like, I had to know. I just . . . I didn't really think the reason you wanted it kept shut was—well . . . _that_."

Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she let out a deep sigh, resting her head on Nymphadora's own. "I should not have screamed at you . . ."

"I deserved it." Dora murmured.

"Perhaps." Andromeda gave a huff of laughter before squeezing the girls hand. "But still . . . it's not like me to talk like that. You upset me, but Rabastan was right; this is your Manor now. You can do as you please."

"I shouldn't have though." Dora sniffed. "I said I wouldn't . . ."

"Yes, but if raising you for more than twenty years taught me anything it is that you are your mothers daughter. Tell you not to do something and you'll only want to do it ten times more." Andromeda couldn't help the small smirk that came to her lips as she raised her head from Nymphadora's own. "You are more like your mother than you know."

Dora lifted her head, her brows furrowing in slight hurt and confusion "I—" she huffed in annoyance "Is that really such a bad thing?"

Andromeda couldn't help but laugh at that, shaking her head. "No. You have the best of her. You're not exactly a crazed psychopath and you have taken to the Pure Blood life and the duties it entails far better than she ever did."

"Thanks." Dora scoffed. "Though I feel like I should be offended on my mother's behalf. I feel like she'd at least hex you for that comment."

"Perhaps." Andromeda shrugged. "Though I'd like to see you try to hex me."

"Oh I could." Dora grinned. "But I'll give you a free pass this time."

"Thank you." Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"You're welcome." Dora giggled as she kissed Andromeda's cheek before standing up again. "I'm going to see to Rabastan. He _may_ have cursed his brother into a wall for saying I was like Bellatrix—and he definitely did not mean it in a good way."

"Well, Madame Lestrange, you do seem to have inherited the task of keeping the Lestrange boys in line—or at least stopping them from killing each other."

"And to think," Dora sighed "I used to always want a brother . . ." she placed a hand on her stomach, mock fear across her features "Merlin, I hope this is a girl."

Andromeda laughed slightly, shaking her head as the girl turned and left the room. Nymphadora knew that Andromeda was still upset, she had always had a way of pretending everything was okay even when her world was falling to pieces around her. Though as much as she was ashamed to admit it Dora was happy to play along with the façade for now without prying into things too greatly, Andromeda had forgiven her and that all that mattered. All the woman wanted to do was to find her husband, curl into his arms and perhaps even take a nap. Nymphadora Lestrange had gotten far too used to pretending things weren't as terrifying or upsetting as they actually were, not dwelling on the fact that Rabastan's Boggart could become reality far too easily. For now, she would focus on her family and the contented excitement of the impending arrival of a new life.

* * *

Nymphadora sighed happily as she lay on her bed, snuggled into her husband's side with her head resting on his chest, contentedly listening to nothing but the steady thrum of his heart. A small smile tugged at her lips as Rabastan gently stroked her hair with one hand, the other gently resting on her ever growing pregnancy bump.

"Dora ..." Rabastan whispered.

"Mmm?" Dora mumbled in reply, keeping her eyes shut as she refused to emerge from her state of deep contentment and relaxation.

"How are you so beautiful?" Rab whispered again, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"It's called morphing." Dora yawned, smirking as she nuzzled her head into a position on his chest where she could see her husbands face if she so desired, though she kept her eyes shut.

"No, it's not." Rab chuckled slightly. "You're in your natural, morph-free form right now and you look more stunning than ever."

"How would you know what my 'natural, morph-free' form is?" Dora smirked, finally opening her eyes to look to her husband.

"Because I've been married to you long enough to know these things." Rabastan leant down and kissed the girl's dark curls. "You always revert to your natural form when you're relaxed enough—though I don't think even you realise you do it half the time. Besides—" Rabastan frowned as he swept the hair from his wife's neck, sighing as he traced the thin white scar that ran from her shoulder up her neck with his fingers. "You constantly morph your scars away; I only see them when you're like this." Nymphadora blushed slightly, instantly making the scar in question disappear. "I'm sorry." Rab sighed, manoeuvring to gently kiss the space where the scar had been before wrapping both of his arms around the woman, firmly pressing his lips to her forehead.

"It was another time. You didn't know what you were doing, who I was." Dora whispered before kissing him softly on the lips. "I don't hold anything against you—it was my first battle scar." She couldn't help but giggling slightly as the man rolled his eyes at her.

"You did hold your own impressively." Rabastan smirked as he cupped her face with his hand, bringing her lips to his own. "You've always held your own impressively."

Dora couldn't help but return the man's smirk, pressing her lips to his. She kissed him deeply for a few moments, placing a hand on the mans chest to pull away as his hands started to make trail their way down her body. "Mmm . . . Rab." Dora breathed, nuzzling her head into Rab's neck "Not right now, I feel queasy."

"Are you okay?" Rabastan pulled back, sitting up slightly to look down at his wife. "Do you need a morning sickness potion? I can go get some."

"No," Dora shook her head, running her hands over her stomach "I used the last of it last week."

"You should have told me, Dora."

"Scared I'll do what I did with Rigel again?" Dora smirked through her nausea "I promise I won't puke on you—I genuinely don't think I'm going to be sick, I just feel sick."

"You should have told me we had run out. I'll go get Andromeda to go out and find some." Rabastan went to get up from the bed only to be stopped by his wife grabbing onto his arm, pulling him back to sit next to her.

"No you won't. I don't need it; I can live with feeling a little sick." Dora smiled slightly as she shuffled back on the bed to rest against the headboard. "Just distract me—without sex, you're too perverted for your own good."

"Isn't that one of the reasons you married me?" Rab grinned mischievously as his wife laughed at his remark.

"Oh shush." Dora pouted. "You were supposed to be distracting me."

"Fine . . ." Rab said as he sat next to her, resting his hand on her stomach as he watched her thoughtfully "You know . . . If you wanted . . . We could find out the sex of the baby—I know you didn't want to know last time, but that was more for your mother's sake. I suppose, if you don't want to know we could wait . . ."

Dora considered the man for a moment, in truth she had thought of finding out the sex of the child though she had been unsure as to how the spell had worked or if she wanted to know. Though from the look on her husbands face she knew she had to agree, he had done so much for her ever since they had married. From putting up with her insane mother to accepting Andromeda and Delphi for her, surely this was the least she could do? She placed her hand on top of her husbands, stroking her finger over his wedding band. "Do you know how to do it?"

He immediately nodded "Yes, I started studying it last time you—" he hesitated for a moment, not wanting to speak of the lost child that he knew would always be such a sensitive topic. "I've had it perfected for a while."

"Okay . . ." Dora nodded hesitantly.

"We really don't have to if you don't want to." Rab assured her, though Dora could tell he was holding back a smile at her acceptance of his request.

"I want to." Dora reassured him, reaching out placing a hand on his leg "But—I—You have to promise me one thing." She smiled slightly as he nodded in response, frowning slightly. "You—I mean—You won't be upset if it's a girl, will you?"

"Dora," Rab couldn't help but chuckle slightly as he leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips "I won't be upset. If I'm honest . . . I'd actually quite like a girl—not that I also wouldn't love a girl."

"Want a Daddy's little princess?" Dora giggled, watching the man draw his wand. "Oh there's some adorable old little girl's clothes in the attic from when mum was a child—and I still have Delphi's old clothes. Think you can stand another girl in the Manor?" Dora smirked, biting her lip as the man tried to hold back his own smirk of amusement.

"Shush, I need to concentrate." Rab shook his head at the girl before he let out a breath of concentration. He placed his left hand on her stomach, the other pointing the tip of his wand at her stomach. Dora winced slightly as he muttered the incantation underneath his breath, immediately causing him to look up in alarm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Dora nodded, closing her eyes as she tried to relax "it's just a strange sensation. Go on."

Rabastan watched her features for a moment before with a curt nod he carried on. Dora nervously played with the fabric of her dress, resisting the urge to touch her stomach as the strange sensation of her husband's magic exploring her womb took over her. This was definitely not helping her nausea. It was just as she was about to ask her husband to pause for a moment as the nausea began to turn into more of a need to vomit that her husband relinquished his magic from her. She let out a breath, about to open her eyes as she suddenly felt Rabastan leaning over her, pressing his lips firmly to hers. She returned the kiss for a few moments before she opened her eyes only to be greeted by his perfect boyish grin.

"We are going to have the most beautiful daughter." Rabastan grinned, laughing as Dora's hair shot bright pink.

"Really?"

"Really." Rab kissed her again before laying back on the bed, bringing her into his side as he loving caressed her stomach. "I love you, so much."

"I love you too." Dora smiled contentedly, leaning her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes again. "Now we nap."

"Okay." Rab laughed, kissing her head. Though he was sure he would not be getting a nap any time soon as thoughts of his future beautiful daughter raced through his mind.


	17. Bella

**Well, I (Dora) am home from visiting Bella over in England. :D It was awesome actually being able to talk out story ideas in person, and laughing together about different things.**

 **Anyhoo, thanks to our readers for their continued support of our stories, and here's another chapter for your...amusement.**

 **Dora**

* * *

Rodolphus shook his head slightly, setting down his glass of wine as he glanced out of his bedroom window. Little brother had been a bit too happy about Nymphadora's pregnancy news than he would have liked, though at least this time she might have a chance to carry the child to life. While Rabastan loved his wife and his children, he was completely naive to some situations. These were things that Rodolphus longed to bring to his brother's attention, both for the necessity, and for the laughs.

"Dear Rabastan," Rodolphus chuckled, still shaking his head. "Well, you have to know some time."

He turned from the window and walked to the door, leaving the room to go find his brother. It didn't take long for him to find Rabastan in the library, reading an old book of curses. "Rabastan," Rodolphus smirked, twirling his wand casually as he regarded the younger man. "A word, if you don't mind."

"We can talk here," Rabastan shrugged.

"No." Rodolphus walked closer to his brother, sighing, "I don't think you'll want most people hearing this."

Rabastan frowned in confusion, getting to his feet and following his brother. "This had better be good," he warned him.

The older Lestrange nodded, turning away to hide his amusement at his brother's naivety. He led him to the sitting room, warding it against the rest of the family in case any of them tried to walk in. To his knowledge, Dora was taking a nap, and Andromeda was teaching the children together in their safe room.

Rodolphus sighed, finally facing his brother head-on. "Rabastan, your son is pathetic," he told the man outright." Rabastan's mouth fell open in shock, the man's face reddening slightly, but Rodolphus wasn't finished. "Rigel is spineless, a pushover, and—to be fair, he does have to deal with Delphi—but he needs to man up, and you need to let him grow up."

Rodolphus stood there a moment and waited knowingly until his brother finally yelled, "How dare you talk that way about my son? He is—"

"He is an unlearned child, and he needs our help," Rodolphus supplied. "Help that does not come of refusal to see the problem. He is your _heir_ , Rabastan—he has to lead the House of Lestrange when we're gone, and I can very well see that he is not ready _at all._ I can't stand aside and watch this happen, because as the older brother, I was charged with making sure our line continues."

"HE IS MY SON!" Rabastan yelled in fury, reaching for his wand.

"He is your son, yes," Rodolphus answered coolly, his own wand in his hand. "But he is the heir of our House. You must agree that the boy does not act as you would expect an heir-in-training to act, do you not, Rabastan? Honestly, I don't expect you to be able to teach him the proper ways, because you were never specifically taught to lead a pureblood house—"

"Fine!" snapped Rabastan, slamming his hand down on the table and nearly knocking the lamp to the floor. "Fine, then! I know he needs work! But I don't know what to do with him! What would you do to help him?"

Rodolphus smirked evilly. "I have a plan."

* * *

Rigel walked into their safe room a couple days later to find his father and uncle standing there with Andromeda, watching and waiting. They immediately focused on him the instant he walked in, and Delphi started laughing at him. "Need special help, Rigel?" Delphi teased him.

The boy frowned, his ears reddening in slight embarrassment, though he tried not to let it bother him. His father was about to say something when Rodolphus stopped him, interjecting, "Actually, Delphi, he is getting a private lesson because of his place in our family. Rigel, if you will follow your father and me."

Rigel followed the two older Lestrange males from the room, wondering what his father and Rod wanted from him. They hadn't really ever just focused on him before...unless he counted the times he had to be healed after Delphi had got to him.

"Talk," Rodolphus said to Rabastan as the three stood in the study together.

"You talk," Rabastan retorted. "This was your idea!"

"What's going on?" Rigel asked nervously.

"Well, Rigel," Rodolphus said simply, "the time has come for us to teach you how to lead a pureblood house—namely the House of Lestrange."

Rigel swallowed nervously. "I—I'm not ready, Sir," he said quickly.

Rodolphus nodded. "That's what we're here for, Rigel. We're here to prepare you. But before we begin, I want you to see something that helped me understand these things when my father was training me. Rabastan, the Pensieve..."

Rabastan immediately levitated the Pensieve out near the middle of the floor, and Rodolphus drew his wand, touching it to his temple. Drawing out the single memory, Rodolphus motioned to his nephew. "Go on," he told the boy. "We'll be right behind you."

Rigel took a deep breath and plunged into the memory...

 _A twelve year old Rodolphus Lestrange was walking along the dark halls of his father's home, watching carefully before he joined his father in the entrance hall. "Are all the girls joining us today?" he asked his father._

 _The man turned to him with a small smirk. "Yes," he said. "You know what is expected of you, Rodolphus."_

 _"Yes, Father," he replied, then turned toward the doors as he felt the 'knock' on the wards. With a similar smirk to his father's, he raised his hands, the gates beginning to swing open at his command._

 _Rodolphus held back a laugh, always thrilled when his father allowed him to act as the Head for a few moments. He could see his father's proud smile just for him as they stepped forward together to greet Cygnus Black and his family. He gave all three of the Black sisters a polite smile, kissing each girl's hand in turn, though he couldn't help but smirk slightly as he looked into the oldest girl's eyes. "Bellatrix," he chuckled softly. "So good to see you again..."_

 _Bellatrix merely smirked at him before he invited them to join him out in the garden for a bit. He led the three girls out, decidedly ignoring the older two whispering to each other and wondering what on earth he could ever find to say to the little blonde Black. Finally, they were out near the edge of the grounds, quite far from the house, and Bellatrix asked, "So what do_ you _think about having a little brother?"_

 _Rodolphus barely stopped himself from frowning, but answered, "Well, I don't know what growing up with little ones is like, but I guess I'll find out. He isn't too bad, as the elves take care of him most of the time."_

 _Narcissa frowned, and looked up, but Andromeda gave her a warning look, and the youngest girl didn't say anything. "I suppose it's different if there's more difference in age," Andromeda said thoughtfully. "You'll be all grown up before he's through school!"_

 _Rodolphus gave a small laugh. "Yes, I suppose. He's quite a stubborn child, though I have nothing to compare him to."_

 _"I suppose your father is happy with two boys," Bellatrix said, rolling her eyes._

 _"He has a right to be proud," Rodolphus said, more sharply than he'd intended. She infuriated him. "Just as your parents should be proud of their three lovely daughters."_

 _Narcissa blushed slightly, but Andromeda merely acknowledged his words politely. Bellatrix, however, outright laughed at him. "Don't try to flatter us, Lestrange," she said haughtily._

 _"I_ meant _that," he said indignantly, but looked out past the edge of the wards. "I try to keep as close to the truth as possible when it comes to these matters. I think anyone should be proud to have any of you ladies."_

 _This drew a smile from Andromeda, and a grin from Narcissa, though Bellatrix scowled at his words. "You should stop talking," she told him._

 _Andromeda sighed. "Bella," she said softly, reaching out and slipping her arm around her sister. "Rodolphus, do you think we could go indoors? There is a bit of a breeze..."_

 _"What bree_ — _" Narcissa began, though the child shut up as Andromeda gave her a sharp look._

 _"Of course," Rodolphus agreed, and led the three sisters forward into the manor._

* * *

Rigel fell out of the memory onto the floor, Rodolphus and Rabastan joining him almost immediately. "What was it supposed to mean?" the boy asked after a moment. "What does that have to do with what I need to know?"

"Well," Rodolphus said after a moment, "that was one time that my father allowed me to practise what he was teaching me as I was still learning it. Of course, I don't believe you'll have to deal with anyone as difficult as Bellatrix, though you do have Delphi."

"You're lucky, trust me," Rabastan told his son. "I couldn't have put up with Bella like your uncle has."

"Well, you were young enough that Bellatrix found you hilarious when you were old enough to talk back," Rodolphus said with a small laugh.

Rigel grinned slightly at the thought of Bellatrix laughing at a four year old Rabastan. "So what now?" he asked his father and his uncle.

Rodolphus turned to face the boy and answered, "We teach you. Mostly, you will learn things considered boring, but necessary to our family. Otherwise, we want to help you grow into a great young wizard, Rigel. We will teach you the Unforgivables—"

"Andromeda's already taught us those!" Rigel protested.

"Do not speak to your uncle that way," Rabastan said quietly.

Rigel glanced uncomfortably between the two, realising that something had changed between the three of them. "Sorry, sir," Rigel muttered.

Rodolphus squeezed the boy's shoulder. "Look at me, boy." He waited until Rigel had obeyed to say softly, "When you address your father and me, or any person worthy of pureblood note, you must look them in the face—not necessarily the eyes—when you speak. The floor does not deserve to be spoken to, Rigel."

"Then—" Rigel barely stopped himself from asking why his mother did it if he couldn't. He frowned slightly, but didn't look away from his uncle. "Yes, sir," he said.

"Good." Rodolphus withdrew his hand from the boy, and turned, walking over to one of the shelves. "Remember that. And don't look to your mother as the prime pureblood example: she wasn't raised pureblood."

Rabastan's face lit with anger, but Rodolphus ignored him as Rigel agreed, "She wasn't exactly raised pureblood."

Rabastan finally sighed, "No, she wasn't. But she's done a much better job than most witches in her situation, as she allowed me to teach her how things are supposed to be."

"I thought Andromeda taught her," Rigel said in confusion.

"Of course, of course," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "But you know the truth."

Rodolphus hid a smirk, saying, "Now, I know we've been a bit remiss in your training, but I'm sure you will learn these things easily. After all, Rigel, you're very privileged to be the Lestrange heir, you know."

A small smirk broke across the boy's face. "I know," said the young heir. "And I'll do my best at it."

The two older Lestranges exchanged glances, both knowing that their plan was well on its way.

* * *

Delphi walked into the dining room a few minutes later than usual one evening, halfway through a sentence of Parseltongue, when everyone turned to look at her. She could feel Marvolo's amusement as he slithered around her arm, reminding her that soon he would be too big to hide inside her sleeve.

Nymphadora merely shook her head, but Rabastan was frowning at her, and both Rodolphus and Andromeda had lowered their forks and given her disapproving looks. Rigel looked up at the girl with a frown. "Forget what time it is, Delphi?"

"Don't be rude," Delphi said haughtily, tossing her hair.

"What have you been up to?" Nymphadora asked with a suspicious frown.

"I was tidying my room," Delphi answered, sitting down beside Rodolphus and looking straight back at her pregnant sister. "I lost track of time." She hid a triumphant smirk when they all turned away from her, going back to their food as her food appeared in front of her.

She knew that she hadn't been tidying her room, but that instead she had been in the study of the house, trying to find other memories she was sure that Dora and Andromeda hadn't showed her. She had taken Marvolo along, as he was her constant companion, and she had wanted someone she could discuss things with.

Delphi ate quietly, and was about to get up from the table when she saw Rabastan jump in shock, reaching for his wand. "Delphini Riddle!" he snapped, his face lit with anger. "What is that you're hiding?"

"I am not hiding anything," Delphi said sharply, getting to her feet and facing the man squarely.

"I saw it _move_!" Rabastan yelled at her.

Rodolphus got to his feet at the same time as Andromeda, both looking at each other carefully and making sure Dora stayed back away from it all. Rigel got to his feet, looking very nervous, but determined as he moved to put himself between his father and Delphi.

Rabastan stared at his son. "Get out of the way, Rigel."

"Father," Rigel said nervously, "don't do anything to her. It's just—just a friend of hers. Just leave him alone."

"A friend?" Rabastan said, reaching out for his son's shoulder to pull him to his side, but Rigel stepped back toward Delphi.

"A friend," Rigel agreed, a more confident look settling onto his face. "She's got a serpent, Father. His name is Marvolo."

"What?!" Rabastan yelled, staring at Delphi over his son in alarm. "No! She can't be trusted with a serpent!"

Dora sighed, moving to step forward, but Rodolphus walked forward to stand beside Delphi. "He was a gift to her," Rodolphus said quietly. "They get along quite well, and I would like to say, that you are the only one who is averse to him. Even Andromeda has handled him without harm."

Rabastan looked from his brother to Andromeda in shock, then glanced at Nymphadora, who bit her lip slightly. "Dora?"

"She needed a friend," Dora breathed as Andromeda slipped an arm around her. "Someone she could talk to, Rab—we were all sort of shutting her off back then."

"When did this happen?" Rabastan asked, his voice dark and dangerous, but Rigel did not move from between his father and Delphi.

"She got him for her birthday," Rigel said evenly, looking straight at his father. "He hasn't hurt a one of us, and I don't believe he will _unless_ Delphi is threatened! We knew you wouldn't like it, which is why we couldn't tell you at first! Father, Marvolo is fine here with us."

Rabastan began to try to yell something, but Andromeda said, "You can blame me later, Rabastan. But we have something else to deal with—"

Nymphadora bit her lip and looked sheepishly at her husband, clutching her stomach with both hands. "I have amazing timing," she sighed before giving a small gasp. "Rab, stay with me..."

Rabastan's expression completely changed, the man nearly running to his wife's side and helping Dora from the hall. "Rodolphus, keep the children," Rabastan yelled over his shoulder, Dora jumping in shock before taking a sharp breath.

Rodolphus rolled his eyes. "I've got it," he called back. "You just take care of Dora."

Rigel turned to watch his father and aunt take his mother off to their room. He didn't really want to know what there was to know about babies, but he'd been told his parents and Andromeda would be occupied for a while. He turned to see Rodolphus giving Delphi a careful look.

"Delphi, I know you've been up to something," he told her.

"Is it because I'm my mother's daughter?" she smirked.

Rodolphus paused for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes before he said, "Well, you had a gleam in your eyes earlier. When Dora asked you where you'd been."

Delphi sighed. "I'm not getting into trouble," she told him earnestly. "I just want to learn about Mum, so I've been reading, and talking to some of the portraits, and all."

The three looked at each other for a few moments, and then Rodolphus smiled innocently. "Want to hear stories about Rabastan as a child?"

Both children laughed, following Rodolphus into the sitting room for a good long chat.

* * *

"Nymphadora," Andromeda said sharply to the shrieking witch, "you've got to do this. I know you can."

"No, I can't!" Dora yelled, lying exhausted on the bed. "I'm too tired, too—" She screamed out again, turning away from both her husband and the other witch after her pain had eased again. "Ahh, I can't do it!"

Andromeda knew Dora was exhausted, and was fully aware of the fact that the baby should have been born by that time, but nothing seemed to be wrong at all. She could sense Rabastan's concern, though she was almost sure that it stemmed from Dora's losing the last baby.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda snapped, reaching out and gripping Dora's leg just below her knee. "Listen to me! You need to stay calm. The baby's just taking a little bit longer than usual—"

"A LITTLE BIT?" Dora screamed at her, tears pouring down her cheeks. "I'll give you a LITTLE BIT. You've never had children. What would you know about it from this point of view anyway! You've never actually _been_ a real mother!"

Andromeda knew the girl was yelling merely out of her pain, but couldn't help getting angry at the girl anyway, mostly because of her concern for Dora. "I have no children because I took care of you, and out of respect to _YOUR_ mother, there was no _way_ I could ever have children of my own!" Andromeda yelled back at the girl, almost glad as her magic crackled, quite sure her hair had tinged red. "You should be glad I'm here to help you!"

Rabastan was staring at her in shock, Nymphadora still shrieking in pain, though the witch looked a bit frightened at the sight of Andromeda glaring at her while she was so vulnerable. All three of them were relieved that, less than ten minutes later, Nymphadora gave birth to her baby girl.

Andromeda couldn't help huffing in annoyance as she wrapped the squalling infant up and handed her off to her father before turning back to take care of Dora. "Bloody Bellatrix Lestrange," she muttered to herself, ordering Nymphadora to hold still. "You had better let me take care of you, Nymphadora, because if you die on me, then none of us will be happy. Hold still."

Nymphadora lay still, tears still running down her cheeks until Andromeda had cleaned her up and given her some strengthening and pain-reducing potions. "Call me if she needs to get up," Andromeda warned Rabastan before kissing her daughter's head and walking toward the door. "I will not let the children visit until tomorrow, _after_ I check on you. Get some rest, Dora. Keep a close watch on her, Rabastan: that was a difficult birth."

"Sorry, Mum—Andromeda," Dora whispered, sniffing back tears.

"It's fine," Andromeda said, shrugging off the girl's words. "Women in labour scream many things they wouldn't otherwise."

"Sorry," Dora sniffed.

"Shh," Andromeda told her. "See baby Bella for a moment, then rest. I won't let the children in tomorrow unless I see that you're strong enough."

Nymphadora nodded, subdued, and Andromeda left the room. The witch looked up at her husband. "I think I made her angry, Rabastan. Rab?"

Rabastan was looking into the face of his innocent baby girl, a kind of unsure happiness on his face. "I don't know why I agreed to having a daughter named Bellatrix, but I suppose it'll be all right," he said finally, looking down at his wife. "You did well, my Love." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then said, "Here, hold her for a few moments. I want you to rest as soon as you can, but I'm sure you want to hold your daughter first."

Nymphadora's mouth opened slightly in awe as she took the tiny dark-haired child into her arms. "...she's beautiful," she said with conviction.

"She had better be," Rabastan smirked. "You're the mother."

"Rab," Dora sighed, and he chuckled.

"Sorry," he said. "I suppose you're not much for joking right now. I just want you to know that I'm proud of you, Dora."

Nymphadora gave him a slight smile. "Thanks," she said. "I guess it worked out, even if it was a bit more difficult."

Rabastan nodded, looking down at the child again. "You have ten minutes," he told her. "Maybe less if I change my mind, and then you must rest."

Dora rolled her eyes at him. "Yes, dear husband."

He grinned. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smirk, lifting her face for him to kiss her lips. "I can't wait til the children meet her..."


	18. Introductions and Reunions

**Happy Battle of Hogwarts anniversary. Here's something to make you guys forget about the sadness of the fallen warriors, an escape to a universe where at least one dead character is still alive haha**

 **Please read, enjoy and please do leave a review for our latest installment of our story.**

 **Bella**

* * *

The couple of Black Manor were awoken at 9am the next morning. This would have been something to rejoice in, though the new born babe had not slept through the night, far from it. This was in fact the fifth time little Bella had decided to wake her parents from their intermittent sleep that night, though as Dora mumbled and opened her arms for Rabastan to bring the girl to her to feed she was sure from the way he shot out of bed that he had not truly been sleeping since they were last awoken. After a few moments Dora opened her eyes, turning her head towards her husband and smiling warmly. The man was gently shushing the girl as she whimpered up at him, reaching for his stubble with her tiny hands.

"She is beautiful." Rab sighed, carrying her over to her mother.

"Yes, she is." Dora agreed, pulling herself to sit up against the headrest whilst trying to hide her wince of pain.

"You don't have to see the children today if you are not up for it, Dora." Rabastan frowned.

"Don't be silly." Dora said, leaning over and kissing his cheek with a small smirk. "You need a shave."

"I don't know, I thought I'd try out a beard." Rabastan teased. "I think it makes me look more mature."

"You look mature enough, old man." Dora laughed as her husband nudged her gently in the side.

"Charming." Rabastan rolled his eyes before nodding for her to take Bella.

"I don't like stubble." Dora pouted as she adjusted her night dress before taking Bella and helping her find her meal. "It's scratchy."

"Hmmm." Rab smirked, leaning down and grazing his chin against her neck. He couldn't help but laugh as the girl cringed against him despite her giggles.

"Behave." Dora warned him in her amusement, leaning her head back and closing her eyes again.

"Oui, Madame." Rabastan said. He got up from the bed, walking over to the wardrobe and beginning to change. He smirked as he caught Dora peering at his body in the mirror as he was midway through pulling on his trousers. "Not for a while yet, love."

"You do not need to tell me that." Dora shook her head avidly as she looked down at her daughter, putting on a childlike tone for the girl "Daddy is insane if he think's Mummy is thinking of _that_ , yes he is."

Rabastan scoffed as he walked over and kissed his wife and daughter's heads in turn, stroking the little girls arm as he sat back down next to the pair. The pink haired witch leant her head on her husband's shoulder, the pair sitting in a comfortable silence as they watched Bella feed. The witch was practically asleep again by the time Bella had decided she had finished feeding, bringing her up to her shoulder to wind her.

"Can you go get Andromeda, please?" Dora murmured.

"Why?" Rabastan sat up instantly, looking to her intently "Are you okay? Do you need more potions?"

"No," Dora gave the man a tired smile "she won't let me see our son nor my sister until she's seen me—though potions do sound beautiful too. Just pass that little one on the side to me."

Rabastan obeyed her request for the potion, watching as she drank it. "Do you want me to put Bella back in her crib?"

"No." Dora adjusted the girl in her arms, leaning down and kissing the child's dark hair. "I would very much like our son and my sister though."

". . . Fine." Rabastan sighed, walking to the door. "Though may I remind you Andromeda said she'd see ' _if_ you're strong enough to see them'. You may be able to bend me to your will but I can't see you attempting to change her mind anytime soon."

"That's where you're wrong." Dora smirked. "Now go get her . . . _please._ "

The woman watched the man leave the room as a small whimper came from the child in her arms. "Hey, beautiful." Dora whispered, kissing the girl's little hands as they reached up to her face. She truly was perfect (though perhaps she was so adamant of this because she was her own flesh and blood, though she was sure it was the truth), with her dark locks the same shade as her father's and her deep dark eyes Dora knew to be her own natural shade. "You are going to be a little heart breaker when you're older." Dora grinned "Yes you are." The woman giggled for a moment before she frowned thoughtfully "That is if we ever manage to find a way to get you children out of this Manor without us being clapped in irons . . . I'm sorry baby, it's not fair . . ." Dora sniffed, adjusting her grip on her daughter as she blinked back the tears threatening to come. " _Hey_ ," Dora cooed as her little girl screwed up her features as if to let out another cry "you can't cry. You're all fed and warm and loved . . . You are _so_ loved."

Nymphadora looked up from her bed as Andromeda slipped into the room, smiling as she tried her hardest not to let her tiredness show on her features. "Morning." Andromeda smiled politely back as she walked over and sat on the edge of the bed next to Nymphadora, leaning over and stroking little Bella's hair. "Morning Bella," Andromeda shook her head "that will take some getting used to."

"Rab said the same thing when I suggested it." Dora shrugged.

"I'm surprised he agreed to it in the first place." Andromeda replied.

"Well . . ." Dora chewed her lip as she tried to search for the words she needed "he could see how much I wanted it . . . We did compromise on the middle name."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow as she looked to the empty potion bottle on the side "Oh?"

"Yes . . ." Dora sighed "Well . . . I mean, Rigel has his name as a middle name—he tried to tell me I should give her my name as her middle name, though my name has never been one of my favourites."

"Of course," Andromeda nodded "so what did you want?"

"I—" Dora blushed noticeably, too tired to think of morphing it away quickly enough as she looked down to her daughter "I wanted Andromeda . . . but Rabastan . . . didn't think it was wise."

"Oh," Andromeda looked to the girl, both slightly shocked and honoured at the same time "well I can see his reasoning. I'm sure he wouldn't want a blood traitors name for his child." Andromeda decidedly ignored the scoff from her once daughter "So what did you settle on in the end?"

"Narcissa." Dora sighed "She did do a lot for me when I was taken back to mum . . . more than most people know. She deserves it too—though not as much as you do."

"Of course." Andromeda smirked, leaning and kissing Dora's head. "Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange is a fine name, very pureblood—very Black."

Dora nodded with a small sigh before a she looked up to Andromeda with a purposely innocent smile "Can I see the children now? _Please_?"

Andromeda looked the girl up and down, drawing her wand down her to inspect that her magic was settled before gave a small nod. "I suppose so."

"Yes." Dora grinned, her hair bright pink. "Are they outside with Rab?"

"No, they're outside on their own—being perfectly well behaved." Andromeda said as she walked towards the door "Rab has gone to find Rod—he does need to meet her too, I suppose."

"I suppose." Dora smirked.

Andromeda Tonks opened the girl's bedroom door to look to the two patiently waiting children outside the door. She looked to both of them in turn before giving them a small nod, Rigel grinning back up at her as Delphi merely smiled slightly at the thought of meeting her niece. "Remember what I said, Dora's still very tired." Andromeda looked more to Delphini as she spoke, more worried of the girl misbehaving their she was Rigel "Be quiet and behave."

"Of course." Rigel nodded, calming himself as he slipped past Andromeda.

"Since when did I not behave?" Delphi couldn't help but smirk as she went to walk past Andromeda, stopping as she felt her gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Perhaps you should let Marvolo remain elsewhere." Andromeda gave the girl a stern look as Delphi was clearly ready to protest "Do you think Rabastan would be pleased if he walked back here and found a snake next to his new born daughter?"

" _No_." Delphi reluctantly agreed. She looked down to the snake currently who had currently draped himself around her shoulders, a gentle hiss passing her lips. After she had let a few more words exchange between the pair Delphi bent down to let the snake comfortably slither from her hand to the floor. The snake had made its way around the corner when she looked back up at her Aunt. "Happy?"

"Ecstatic." Andromeda drawled before she gestured for the girl to go into the room, carefully shutting the door after her as the two of them had entered the room.

Rigel was stood next to his mother, looking down at his new sister in awe "She's so tiny."

"You were that small once." Dora laughed, adjusting the girl in her arms so she could reach a hand out to her son. "Come here, baby."

"Mum," Rigel blushed furiously "I am not a baby."

"Oh nonsense, you'll always be my baby." Dora pouted, stretching her hand out to the boy again until he relented and sat on the bed next to his mother as she wrapped her spare arm around him. "Do you want to hold your sister?"

"Yes." Rigel quickly said with another grin.

"Sit up properly, Rigel." Andromeda sighed, walking over to the bed and showing him how to hold his arms before she took Bella from her mother's arms. Rigel looked terrified as the little girl whimpered slightly though as the girl was placed into his arms, calming with a few gentle shushes from Andromeda, his hair turned a bright turquoise.

Delphi looked at the small family thoughtfully, the twelve-year-old unsure of what to do with herself as she stood at the end of the bed. The room was silent for a few moments before she decided to speak "Is she a Metamorphmagus?"

Dora looked to the girl kindly, shaking her head slightly as she knew her son was watching her intently for an answer as well. Delphi was merely more blunt, more unafraid to ask what she wanted. "No," Dora replied "I don't think so. She hasn't done it yet—Rigel had nearly morphed his hair through the rainbow within a few hours—you changed your hair a few times too."

"So she doesn't have any morphing abilities?" Delphi asked.

"No. Perhaps we have enough people that can do that under one roof." Dora winked at the girl as Delphi couldn't help but laugh at that slightly.

"I can't help but agree with that comment." Andromeda smirked as she sat on the end of the bed, gesturing Delphini to come sit with her.

"What's her name?" Rigel asked, frowning slightly as the baby gripped onto his robes.

Dora bit her lip for a moment before taking a deep breath, stroking the little girls arm for a moment before casting her eyes on Delphi. "Bella—her full name is Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange." Dora didn't miss the look on her sisters face, nor the gentle hand of Andromeda moving to rest on the young girl's shoulder.

"After Grandmother?" Rigel asked.

"Yes, Rigel." Dora leant down, kissing his head as she adjusted his hold on his sister for him. "After my mother and Aunt Narcissa."

". . . It's a nice name." to Dora's surprise it was Delphi who spoke, she smiled at her.

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it." Dora truly was glad; she was worried how Delphi would react to her using their mother's name for her new daughter. Though it was clear from the girls face that she wasn't ecstatic about the use of the name she wasn't exactly protesting it, which was as good a sign as any in her books. "Do you want to hold her?"

Delphi shook her head; she did not want to hold baby Bella when the baby's father could walk back in any moment. "No . . . thanks."

"Well," Andromeda declared, standing from the bed as she gestured for Delphi to get up "in that case, we should leave you to get some rest—don't pout at me Nymphadora, you're not a child."

"Fine." Dora huffed, smirking as Rigel couldn't help but laugh in amusement. ". . . Can you put her in her crib please, Andromeda?"

"Of course." Andromeda walked over to the girl, very carefully taking Bella from her brother's arms. She kissed the girls head and shushed her slightly as she laid her down in the crib. Both Rigel and Delphi said their goodbyes to Nymphadora (Rigel pretending to be embarrassed as his mother managed to pull him in for a hug, placing a big kiss on his cheek) then all three of them left the room as Andromeda promised to check in on her if Rabastan had not returned soon. Nymphadora Lestrange smiled contentedly as she managed to slowly lay herself back under the sheets of her bed, watching her daughter mewling happily in her crib until her eyes were too heavy to keep open and she let herself be taken by sleep.

* * *

The youngest Lestrange was merely ten days old as the the Lestrange brothers and Nymphadora were in the main sitting room. Dora laid against her husband on the couch as she cradled Bella on her chest, stroking her back as she watched her brother-in-law pour himself and her husband a glass of fire whiskey.

"I could have a tiny bit." Dora sighed.

"Not whilst you're breast feeding." Rodolphus shook his head as he passed his brother his glass and returned to his own seat.

As she huffed in annoyance Rabastan leant down and kissed her head through his small chuckle of amusement. "You've never liked fire whiskey much anyway."

"True," Dora nodded thoughtfully, "but not being able to have it makes me what it _oh so much more_."

"The temptation of that you can't have." Rodolphus smirked.

"Exactly." Dora agreed.

"I know the feeling." Rabastan chuckled as he brushed the hair from his wife's neck "How long until . . .?" Rab winced as Dora hit his leg playfully, though the boyish grin on his features still remained.

"Not for—" Dora's eyes widened as she felt a subtle knock on the wards " _What_ —?"

The door to the sitting room burst open, Rodolphus was already on his feet as she sat up to look to Andromeda. The witch was panting for breath, struggling to keep up her usual prim and proper demeanour around the boys as she grasped onto the door frame to stop herself. "I—It's Narcissa."

"What?" Rabastan frowned, getting up from the seat.

"You heard me." Andromeda snapped. "I was re-enforcing the wards when I saw her walking down the lane towards the manor."

"Is it just Narcissa?" Dora asked, walking over to Andromeda and gesturing for her to take her daughter. "She's knocking the wards to get in . . ." Dora looked between the two boys, unsure of what to do.

Rabastan thought for a moment before he nodded "Well she has been here already since . . ."

"You're a fool if you let her back in!" Rodolphus growled at his brother, enticing a whimper from Bella as she stirred in her mother's arms. "What if she brought the Ministry straight to us?"

"She wouldn't." Dora shook her head, wincing as the wards knocked again. "Andromeda—take her."

Andromeda reluctantly took the whimpering child from her mother's arms. "I'm sure she's alone . . ."

Dora nodded "Take Bella to the nursery and wait there—take Rigel there too." She waited for Andromeda to reluctantly leave the room before she looked between the two brothers "You two come with me, wait in the entry way— _out of sight_ —I'll morph and go to the gates. That way if anyone from the ministry is watching I will not look like who they are looking for. If anything goes wrong, you'll have my back." Dora didn't waste any time, morphing instantly into a much older woman—though she ensured to keep many of the Black traits in her appearance so she could claim to be a distant Black relative if needed. She didn't wait for the boys to respond before she left the room.

"So commanding." Rodolphus rolled his eyes as he drew his wand.

"I've missed this side of you." Rabastan smirked.

Dora couldn't help but smirk back at her husband slightly as she motioned for them to stop at the entry way to the manor. With a deep breath she waved her hand to open the main doors. She had to force herself not to run to the blonde witch she could see by the gates, merlin it had been too long. Narcissa Malfoy looked just as she remembered, though the tiredness of war was now gone from her features. She looked the perfect prim and proper pureblood wife again, her hair swept neatly up into an intricate bun, her pale blue summer robes hugging her figure in the perfect modest ways for a woman of her age. Dora held back her smile as she walked up to the gates, though Narcissa was already biting back a smile at the sight of her niece.

"What's the password?" Dora asked, her wand tightly gripped in her hand.

Narcissa didn't miss a beat "There has never been a password to get into this manor—unless you've decided to create one since I last visited you, it has been a while."

Dora looked the witch up and down for a moment before she spoke again "What was the first magic you used on me when I first came to Malfoy Manor?"

"A healing spell." Narcissa said "To comfort you and ease your pain, as you were chained to the wall in the dungeon—to which I told you you should be honoured that I took you down there myself as I did not go down there often."

Dora grinned, reaching her hand out through the ward and easing the woman through them. "I've missed you, Aunt Cissa." Dora said as she dropped her morph, hugging the woman.

"And I you." Narcissa smiled, hugging the girl back for a few moments before she pulled away "We should go inside."

Dora nodded, leading her Aunt up the pathway and back into the Manor. The men both looked at her questionably as she took Narcissa over the doorway of the manor, each of the men holding their wands firmly towards her. "She's fine, honestly. I asked her a couple of questions."

Rodolphus wrinkled his nose at the woman "How do you know she doesn't want to turn us in? Her and her husband turned their backs on us all— _once again_. Have you got her wand?"

"Don't cause a scene, Rodolphus." Dora glared, though she was surprised as Narcissa pressed her wand into her hand.

"Happy?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow "I mean you no harm."

"I—" Rodolphus went to speak again before he noticed Delphini out of the corner of his eye, stood at the top of the stairway. "Delphi, what are you doing here? Go."

Delphi ignored the man, her gaze focusing intently on the new woman in the manor "You're Narcissa."

"I am." Narcissa replied, glancing at the Lestrange men before she looked back to the girl "You've grown."

"I'm twelve." Delphi said proudly, ignoring the snake slithering up her waist to her shoulders.

"I know." Narcissa smiled kindly at her.

"Delphi," Dora looked to her sister "go to the nursery please, go take Rigel to the library or somewhere."

"Can we go in the gardens?" Delphi asked hopefully.

"No." Rabastan replied this time. "I'll take Rigel, I need to talk to him." Rabastan looked to his wife for a moment before he quickly kissed her cheek "Yell if you need me." Dora nodded before she watched Rabastan walk away. She rested her glance on Rodolphus for a moment before with a growl of annoyance he went to Delphi, taking her hand as he muttered about teaching her something.

"She's so big . . ." Narcissa shook her head in wonder "I suppose Rigel is just a big now?"

"Yes." Dora sighed "I think the boys are trying to train him to be head of the Lestrange household."

"Only now?" Narcissa frowned.

"Thank merlin," Dora pouted "they're making him grow up."

"Well unfortunately children do do that." Narcissa smiled sympathetically at the girl.

Dora giggled. It was just as if the war had never been lost, as if they were still living in Malfoy Manor together speaking of Dora's troubles with becoming a 'proper pureblood' again. It felt oddly comforting. She almost didn't want to ask what she knew she had to, though she forced herself to return to a serious demeanour as she looked to her Aunt. "What brings you here? Is something wrong?"

"No." Narcissa shook her head "I— . . . I daresay I simply missed you. We are not watched as we once were—which is not to mean you should relax in your hiding, you are definitely still being looked for. Though it is easier for me to slip away, I've been wanting to for months now, today my curiosity simply got the better of me."

"Well," Dora smirked "you have perfect timing."

"Oh?" Narcissa raised an eyebrow.

"Come on." With a giggle Dora walked off towards the nursery, Narcissa close beside her as she looked to each portrait she passed curiously. The younger witch stopped only as she got to the room, remembering who was inside and looking to her Aunt. "Aunt Cissa . . . last time you were here . . . You said Andromeda didn't have to hide from you."

Narcissa thought for a moment before she nodded "I did. She doesn't."

"Good." Nymphadora said carefully "Then I have two people I think you would like to see."

"Two?" Narcissa frowned, though as soon as she could say anything her niece had opened the door to the nursery. There, in the corner of the room on a rocking chair she recognised from being the one her own mother once used, sat Andromeda Black Tonks cradling a small bundle in her arms. Andromeda looked up to the two witches, whatever she was about to say lost on her lips as Nymphadora looked between the pair. "Dromeda." Narcissa breathed.

Andromeda hesitated for a moment before she stood, her dark eyes not leaving her sisters cold blue pair. "Cissa . . ." she breathed, standing perfectly still. Not a word was spoken between the three until Bella let out a small cry.

"Oh Bella," Dora sighed, walking over to the little girl and taking her in her arms "come to mummy."

"Bella?" Narcissa asked, looking to the small girl in Dora's arms. "Did you have another child, Dora?"

"Yes." Dora smiled "She's ten days old."

Narcissa smiled as she looked to the small bundle in her niece's arms, reaching out and stroking the little girls arm "And you called her Bella?"

"Well . . ." Dora bit her lip in her own amusement.

"She called her Bellatrix." To the pairs surprise it was Andromeda who spoke, seemingly having found her voice "Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange to be precise."

"Bellatrix Narcissa . . .?" Narcissa looked to the pink haired witch, who nodded proudly "Oh—Well—I—Thank you." Narcissa finally smiled with a small sigh, kissing her niece on the cheek "I'm honoured."

"You're welcome." Dora smiled down at the child, laughing slightly as she whimpered in her arms pulling at her robes. "She's hungry . . . Why don't I leave you two to get re-acquainted. Aunt Cissa I'll be in the main sitting room with your wand."

Before either of the sisters could protest Nymphadora Black Lestrange left the room, shutting the door behind her and leaving the pair alone for the first time since Andromeda had left The House of Black many years ago.

"She is so much like Bellatrix . . ." Andromeda shook her head "Even if she won't admit it."

"Yes . . ." Narcissa said, pulling her gaze away from the door to look to her once sister. ". . . Andromeda I—"

"Please don't." Andromeda spoke curtly. "Do not talk of the past. It is awful, painful and I can imagine we have both done many things we are now not so proud of since we last saw each other—even before that. I suppose you cannot be here for long so shall we skip all the awfulness? I'm sure you actually do want to speak with Nymphadora and perhaps the children so—" Andromeda froze. To her surprise Narcissa had run at her, her arms tightly wrapping around her in a fierce hug as she buried her face in her hair. She was unsure of what to do or say, standing awkwardly as her sister acted as she had not since she was still a girl. Dromeda sighed, resting her head on her sisters and wrapping her arms around her as she gave in to the embrace. "Oh Cissa . . ."

"I've missed you." Narcissa practically whispered. "I—I came here to see _you_."

"Don't tell Dora that, she'll be offended." Andromeda laughed slightly, squeezing her sister close for a moment before she gently took her shoulder and stepped back to look at her properly.

"Well I have missed her too." Narcissa laughed, swatting away the few tears she had accidentally shed before drawing herself tall again "I wanted to see you were okay though—I know Dora can look after herself as much as she may doubt it, she also has the boys who would undoubtedly protect her and the children . . . You . . ."

"I never needed protecting either." Andromeda smirked.

"No," Narcissa smiled "I suppose you are right there. But you needed someone to love you, I know Dora loves you as much as it irked Bellatrix."

"Well," Andromeda rolled her eyes "what did she expect?"

"Yes, you're so lovable." Narcissa joked. "No—I know what you mean . . . but you are okay?"

"I'm okay." Andromeda nodded. ". . . Are you okay? Lucius? Draco?"

"Yes, yes." Narcissa nodded "We're grandparents now. Draco's son will be three soon—Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy."

"And here I was thinking Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange was a mouthful." Andromeda smirked as her sister rolled her eyes in amusement. " . . . How long do you have here?"

"An hour." Narcissa said firmly "At the very most."

"Well," Andromeda said as she carefully wrapped an arm around her sister "how about you and I go and sit with Nymphadora and her daughter in the main sitting room and have some tea?"

"That sounds perfect." Narcissa agreed, letting her sister lead her down to their niece as it was nearly as if nothing at all had happened between the sisters. No mudblood, no disownment, no war . . . there was something comforting to the pair to know that the Black sisters remained united somehow after all of these years.


	19. Heart To Heart

**Rodolphus just breaks my heart. I love him so much.**

 **Dora**

* * *

Early one evening, a few days later, Andromeda stood in her room, watching the picture of her two sisters grinning with their arms around each other. She held her glass of wine in both hands as she thought of the hour she'd spent sitting with Narcissa, Dora, and little Bella. She hated days like these: days that she longed to be back with her sisters, times that she wished she had never left them. Andromeda closed her eyes after a moment, holding back all her emotions like she always did.

"I'm sorry," Andromeda whispered, bowing her head as her hands tightened on her glass. "I couldn't change anything of it, and even if I could...I'm sure I wouldn't. I loved Ted. I cared for Dora and loved her as my own daughter. No, I wouldn't change anything. But I—I'm sorry."

She moved to sit on the bed, catching sight of her grey hair in the mirror. Andromeda reached up and tugged her hair painfully before she morphed her hair back to its natural dark brown. She sighed. It was so difficult to keep her regret under control sometimes.

She jumped in surprise as someone knocked on her door. "Who is it?" she called, making sure her voice was perfectly calm and even.

"Delphi," came the reply.

Andromeda waved the door open, smiling wanly at the girl. "Come in," she told her.

The girl walked into the room, approaching her aunt but waiting a moment before she spoke. "Andromeda...are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Andromeda told the girl.

"No, you're upset," Delphini answered, finally taking a seat next to the older witch. "I can tell. What's wrong?"

Andromeda set down her wine glass. "I don't want to talk about it."

Delphi crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the witch. "Or course not."

"Something is bothering you as well," Andromeda said sharply. "And you hide things, just as I do."

"All of us do," Delphi nodded. "Even Rigel." She smirked and looked down at Marvolo, who had slithered into her lap. She stroked his scales gently as she looked back to Andromeda. "I wanted to ask you about...Mother."

Andromeda nodded, watching her young niece. "What did you want to know?"

Delphi clenched her left fist. "Everything," she hissed. "Every bit of information that Nymphadora and her husband have hidden from me! I don't want to be protected! And how could they simply name _their daughter_ after _my mother_ without telling me?" Her voice rose to a shriek, the roots of her hair red as she closed both fists to control her crackling magic. "They should have asked me! I should have known!"

"I agree that you should have known," Andromeda nodded, gently placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "But I did not know they were planning until Dora told me the very day the child was born. I am proud of you for acting so unconcerned when you learned of it, Delphi. That was very well done."

"I don't care," Delphi spat, glaring at the floor. "I don't want a baby Bellatrix. I WANT MY MOTHER!"

Andromeda looked at her distraught niece for a few moments, a sympathetic look on her face. "I want her too, Delphi. That's just what I've been thinking of...missing your mother. I can't help feeling responsible for some of her problems. But I can't fix what I've done."

Delphi looked over at her aunt, surprised to see the sorrowful look on the woman's face. "It...couldn't have been your fault," she said uncertainly.

"I said some of her problems, not all," Andromeda said ruefully. "I had always been the one that had kept her mostly sane. Then I left her, and she was never the same."

"I wish I could have known her," Delphi scowled, kicking at the floor. "It isn't fair that Nymphadora knew Mum, and that I can't remember a thing about her! Even the memories don't help!"

"But you were hers," Andromeda said firmly. "That is the most obvious thing about you, Delphi. She loved you and protected you as long as she could, and made Dora swear that she'd shelter you if anything happened to her. Dora kept that promise, even though her own husband was infuriated at the idea."

"He shall be dealt with in time," Delphi nodded imperially, smirking as Marvolo hissed sharply. "But I still don't like the idea of Dora naming her daughter our mother's name!"

Andromeda frowned slightly. "I understand that; however, the child has already been named. And—" she stopped as Delphini was about to protest. "I know this angers you: it very much surprised me as well. But we cannot change it."

Delphi jumped up from the bed as Marvolo slithered onto the sheets. "I hate it!"

The woman watched the girl glaring at her for a few moments, then said, "I think I would like you to meet her with everyone else out of sight. She's an innocent child, Delphi. She's your niece, too."

"I don't want one," Delphi said bitterly. "I only want my mum and my dad." She wrapped her arms around herself and turned away from Andromeda stubbornly.

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda sighed. She got to her feet after a moment, approaching the girl and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know that no matter how much I try to be there for you and Dora, I am no substitute for Bellatrix."

"I want Mum!" Delphi suddenly cried out, bursting into tears before turning and flinging herself into Andromeda's arms. "I want my mother!"

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda whispered against the girl's black hair, holding the crying child close. "I'm so sorry."

It wasn't until quite a while later that Delphi calmed enough to let go of Andromeda, stepping back and trying to compose herself, hiding her embarrassment at her outburst. "You—your hair," Delphi muttered to Andromeda, giving her a significant glance before wiping away the last of her tears.

Andromeda wasn't surprised to find her hair was pure black, though as she closed her eyes to concentrate on morphing it back, she felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Delphi staring directly into her face. "Wait," Delphi breathed. "Could—could you—?"

The older woman immediately knew what Delphi wanted, though she still hesitated at the idea. Andromeda took a deep breath, then closed her eyes again and began to morph, feeling Delphi let go of her. She heard Delphi gasp, though she turned away from the sound, looking up and walking toward her full-length mirror to make sure she'd done it right. Ruefully, she stared at the image in the mirror: herself, in her own robes, but looking much more dangerous, a copy of her older sister. She couldn't resist transfiguring her dress before she turned back to Delphi.

The girl was staring at her, her mouth open slightly. She took a step toward Andromeda, then hesitated, unsure of what to do. Andromeda smirked at the girl, shuffling forward and hugging Delphi tightly. "You've learnt so much already," she whispered in the girl's ear. "I'm proud of you."

Andromeda felt the child wrap her arms around her tightly, hugging her fiercely. "I—I love you," Delphi breathed, burying her face in the witch's dress. "I would do anything for you, and for Father."

"As he would expect," Andromeda answered, kissing the girl's head. "I—" she hesitated, feeling uncomfortable in her strange role. "I am to train you the best I can, to prepare you for your father's teaching."

"How could I if he's gone?" Delphi hissed, suddenly looking up into Andromeda's face.

"Oh, Delphi," Andromeda breathed, reaching out and tucking a lock of the girl's hair behind her ear. "It is true, we cannot change the past, but I will train you in all that I know. And I'm sure we can convince Rodolphus to give up his knowledge as well, though—" Andromeda giggled at the thought "you'll probably have to do that by yourself. He'd take one look at me and start Cursing."

"Didn't he love you?" Delphi said in confusion. "Mother, I mean?"

Andromeda sighed, leading the girl to sit next to her on the bed. "He did. But first of all, Delphi, you are not his child. He has no children. That made him very, very angry, and so he has harmed your mother quite a lot down through the years. Not that she hasn't returned the favour. They're probably even in their deeds, though I know he has a lot of regrets." She rolled her eyes and flopped backwards onto the bed. "No matter how much I think he deserves to suffer, I still feel sorry for him. It's not easy to deal with Bellatrix Black."

Delphi giggled and lay down next to the witch, curling into her side. "We should go to our safe room," she said, looking into her mother's face. "You should teach me one of your special spells. Dora's mentioned some of them to me."

"Has she now?" Andromeda smirked at Delphini. "Well, I may not be privileged to know those spells, but I do know some dangerous spells I _know_ you would enjoy."

"Then let's go!" Delphi demanded, sitting up and pulling the Bellatrix look-alike with her. "Hurry up!"

Andromeda waved the door open, jumping as she accidentally slammed it before laughing at herself. "I haven't slammed a door in years," she giggled before grabbing Delphi's hand and pulling her along for a few seconds before the two were practically running down the hall side by side as they giggled together.

Someone looked out of the sitting room and yelled in shock before hissing, "Andromeda, that is not wise! If Rodolphus sees you—"

"He's in the garden, doing Merlin knows what," Andromeda snapped. "He _won't_ see."

"What is she doing?" Nymphadora's voice came from the sitting room behind Rabastan.

"You're surprisingly calm for seeing Mother again," Delphi smirked at him. "Now stay out of the way."

"Delphi," Andromeda sighed dramatically. "Don't be mean to the poor man." She jumped, hearing Dora get to her feet inside the room. "Come on!" She darted off down the hall, Delphi rushing after her before Dora could look out of the room.

Both witches were giggling at each other when they burst through the doors of their safe room. Andromeda immediately warded the room so no one would burst in on them, and Delphi leant against the wall breathlessly. "I would love for him to look that terrified of me whenever he sees me," she giggled. "Now, about those spells you mentioned..."

Andromeda smirked, motioning Delphi closer as she drew her wand. "Yes," she grinned. "Now, dear, the idea behind this spell..."

* * *

Rabastan stood in the doorway, staring after Delphini and what he had thought was Bellatrix as Nymphadora stepped to his side. "Andromeda is insane," he muttered.

"Why?" Nymphadora frowned. "What was she doing with Delphi? They sounded...different."

"Dora..." Rabastan looked pained as he turned to face her. "Andromeda was morphed to look like your mother. I think they were...pretending things that are not so."

"Oh no," Nymphadora sighed, shaking her head as she looked down at her baby girl. "Delphi doesn't need that. She's already upset that she never knew her mother; she doesn't need to go around pretending that Mum is here."

Rabastan shook his head. "Let Andromeda deal with the girl. At least they're not trying to torture one of us or something."

Nymphadora raised an eyebrow at him. "Out of practise?" she teased. "Can't take a bit of torture anymore, Rab?"

"Nymphadora," he said to her, falsely stern, "I am only concerned with how you would fare in such circumstances."

"Well," the brown-haired witch smirked, "I'm sure we would be fine. And I know Andromeda can take care of herself. I just want to know how in the world Delphi managed to convince her to morph to Bellatrix. That is quite a feat."

Rabastan laughed. "Like I said, she had better hope Rodolphus doesn't see her." His wife smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.

* * *

Delphi smirked to herself as she listened to Marvolo describe in serpent terms what he had seen Rodolphus and Rabastan teaching Rigel. "Nothing too ssspecial, then," she said. "You did well, Marvolo."

He hissed in pleasure at her praise, slithering up her arm and settling across her shoulders as she walked down the hall toward the nursery. "You wish to sssee the child?" he asked her.

"I sssuppose," Delphi sighed. "I should, anyway. But I think Rodolphus is there, and I want to talk to him."

Marvolo didn't answer as the girl walked up to the door and knocked softly, waiting for an answer. To her great annoyance, Nymphadora answered her. "Come in."

Delphi gritted her teeth and entered the room, seeing her sister and Rodolphus standing next to the cradle, the man holding his little niece. She slipped to his side, looking over his arm at the baby girl. After a moment, Nymphadora nodded to the two and left the room quietly.

"Something on your mind, Delphi?" Rodolphus asked her, glancing at her when her sister had gone.

"I just wanted to talk to you," Delphi answered, frowning at baby Bella. "But not here."

"You should hold her," Rodolphus said, motioning to the child in his arms. "While there's no one around."

Delphi shook her head nervously, watching the man gently touch the child's tiny hand with one of his fingers. "I—I couldn't," Delphi whispered.

Rodolphus nodded, looking up at the girl. "Just for a moment," he said softly. "Take a seat, Delphi."

She obeyed after a moment, quite alarmed as he leant down and placed the child in her arms, carefully adjusting her hold on the child. "She—she's okay," Delphi muttered, looking into the child's dark eyes. "But she shouldn't have been named after my mother."

"I agree," Rodolphus said quietly, and Delphi raised her head in surprise. "There should only be one Bellatrix. No one else could ever compare."

"I thought you were okay with it," Delphi muttered, returning her gaze to the child, her eyes narrowing.

"I...am not," Rodolphus admitted. "I completely disagree with it. But I prefer to think of it as Dora's wanting to remember and honour her mother."

Delphi nodded, giving the child a begrudging smile when she yawned, her tiny fist against her cheek. "Well, maybe she's not that bad," she sighed. "Take her, please."

Rodolphus took baby Bella into his arms and said, "Let's give her to her mother, and then you and I can go talk."

Delphi jumped up, glad to finally be doing what she wanted to in the first place. She was relieved that Dora was easily found in the sitting room with Andromeda, and Rodolphus simply handed over the child. He then placed his hand on her shoulder and led her from the room.

"Where did you want to talk?" Rodolphus asked her.

"Well...maybe your room?" Delphi said, wrinkling her nose. "So no one comes looking for me?"

He shook his head at her and led the way down the hall. "So what is it you want to know this time?" he asked her, a slight smirk on his face.

Delphi sat down at his desk chair, drawing her legs up underneath her. "Could you tell me how Mum and Dad met?"

Rodolphus sat perfectly still, willing himself not to move until he knew he would not say or do anything stupid. "Your parents," he said after a long silence, "only met because of me." Delphi did not say a word as she watched him carefully. "Years ago, when Nymphadora was two, or nearly so, Bellatrix convinced me to take her to the Dark Lord. We were engaged at this point, and Dora still lived with Bella at Black Manor. Bellatrix wanted to join the Dark Lord, and I knew her power, could vouch for her. I told the Dark Lord—your father—that Bellatrix was worth twice any of the newer recruits, and I'm sure he wanted to see for himself. He ordered me to bring her to him, and I did."

The man sighed heavily and shook his head. "I could see immediately her fascination with him, though I did not realise it would go so far." Rodolphus sat down on his bed and continued, "She took the Mark that night and went on to be personally taught by the Dark Lord. She grew more powerful than ever under his guidance, and...she withheld nothing from him." The man clenched his right fist for a moment before looking across the room at Delphi. "It didn't take long for them to get together," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I half killed her when I found out, even though I knew there wasn't anything I could really do. As much as I loved her, and had wanted her my entire life, I _hated_ her for what she had done—was doing."

Delphi frowned at the man slightly as he became silent for a few minutes. Finally, he rubbed a hand across his face and said, "I knew there was no use in talking to her about it, but I tried. Then came Azkaban—" he shuddered "twice—" he shuddered again "and when I returned the second time—" Rodolphus' gaze snapped to the girl sitting at his desk. "Bellatrix was pregnant with you."

"I—" Delphi began, then sighed and started over. "I'm glad you don't hate me."

Rodolphus gave a bitter laugh. "I did," he said coldly, and Delphi felt a chill run down her spine. "But you were the Dark Lord's. There was nothing to be done. I couldn't touch Bellatrix, couldn't harm you—it was over from that moment. I knew I could never mean anything to Bellatrix when I saw her again." He jumped to his feet, striding away from the girl and stopped before his wardrobe, reaching out to touch the design on it. "But she loved you. He—he didn't know how to love, how to be a good father—but your mother did everything she could for you. And I—I stayed with Bella during that time, saw how loving she was to you, and I grew to accept that it wasn't your fault."

He turned to look at the girl, pain in his eyes. "I went to see you one night, all alone, kind of like you just did with little Bella. I couldn't understand how a child with your heritage could be so innocent, but I just couldn't be angry with you." His face seemed to want to smile, but couldn't break through his dark emotions. "I decided I would protect you, even if it were only because you were a helpless infant at the time."

"I never hurt children," Rodolphus muttered, shaking his head. "I would never deny a parent their son or daughter. I could never have hurt you, even if the entire situation crushed my happiness even more than Azkaban."

Delphi swallowed hard, staring at the man nervously as he walked toward her. "Bella was happy with him," Rodolphus said roughly, and she could see anger in his eyes. "She was his prize from the day she took the Mark, and now—" he stopped before the girl and looked down at her. "Now I'm left to make sure you fulfil the destiny your parents would have wanted."

She got to her feet, drawing a careful breath before saying, "Thank you, Rod."

His expression was once again unreadable as he shook his head at her. "I don't want your thanks," he said. "I want—I want you to make your mother proud of you, Delphi."

She nodded, and before he could move, she'd wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him tightly in spite of his trying to push her away. "I love you," she said, squeezing him firmly.

"Delphi," he growled in annoyance, though she felt his rejection cease after a moment as he sighed. "I love you too," he muttered, hugging her in return. "Now get out of here. I won't talk anymore."

She nodded, then pulled away from him, hurrying to let herself out of the room. Rodolphus sank down onto the bed again, burying his face in his hands. "Bella," he groaned softly. Damn memories.


	20. Duel

**Sooo here's the latest for you guys, I really hope you like it**

 **Please do read, enjoy and drop us a review if you have the chance**

 **Bella**

* * *

"Andromeda?" Nymphadora called sheepishly as she walked into the library, unsurprised to see her once mother sitting in an armchair with a book. Dora held her five-month old daughter in her arms, slowly walking over to the woman.

"Yes, Dora." Andromeda sighed, putting the book down.

"I have a favour to ask you . . ." Dora spoke softly, kissing her daughters head as she moved to sit on the arm of the woman's chair. "Could you look after Bella please?"

"Why?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." Dora chimed, wincing slightly as Bella tugged on her hair "No, baby. Mummy's hair."

"Well if you're doing nothing you don't need me to take Bella, do you?" Andromeda shrugged, picking her book back up.

"Oh come on, you love looking after Bella, admit it." Dora pouted.

"No, I quite enjoy my time without a screaming infant." Andromeda peered up at the girl from her book "Stop trying to convince me to do things in such ways, you're acting just like your mother."

"Good." Dora grinned "It'll come in handy."

"Nymphadora Lestrange." Andromeda put her book down for the second time, narrowing her eyes in suspicion at the girl "What are you planning?"

"Take Bella and I'll tell you." Dora giggled.

After a few moments Andromeda rolled her eyes and stood in agreement, gently taking the dark haired infant into her arms and resting the girl on her hip before looking back to Nymphadora. "Go on then." Andromeda said "Tell me what you're up to."

" _Well_ ," Dora smirked "Rodolphus, Rabastan and I believe it is time the children learn how to duel properly."

"I've been teaching them how to duel, Nymphadora." Andromeda protested, trying to hide her offence. Of course her way of duelling would not be good enough for the other three adults of the Manor.

"I know," Dora agreed "and you've done a great job. But they need to learn . . . the Death Eater way."

"Ah." Andromeda nodded, sitting back on her chair and placing Bella on her lap "You mean with no rules, no holding back and not playing fair."

"Well if you want to put it that way." Dora shrugged with a smirk. "Anyway, Rod and Rab have been off teaching Rigel merlin knows what and I feel rather left out—plus I don't want Delphi to think I don't care about her."

"Dora, you know what the boys have been teaching Rigel." Andromeda shook her head, summoning a rattle for little Bella to play with.

"Yes." Dora frowned "They've been teaching my little boy that it's not acceptable to cuddle his mother anymore—that he doesn't need me."

"He's _thirteen_ ," Andromeda couldn't help but laugh in slight amusement of the woman "they're teaching him to be the _Lestrange heir_. To be the head of a House, to run it. To be a proper Pure blooded child."

"Hmpf." Dora shook her head "No, I'd rather he just stay Mummy's little boy forever." She smirked as Andromeda shook her head in amusement. "You'll be Mummy's little girl forever, hmm?" Dora grinned, leaning down and kissing Bella's head, tickling her tummy as the girl giggled furiously "You won't grow up, will you?"

"All children grow up, Dora." Andromeda said "Now, are the boys waiting for you?"

"Shit!" Dora's eyes widened, jumping up straight "Yes. The children too. See you later! Thanks!"

And with that Nymphadora ran from the room, Andromeda sighing as she looked down to the little girl in her arms currently attempting to hit her shoulder with her rattle. Andromeda Tonks couldn't help but wonder as to when she had become a glorified babysitting service.

* * *

Nymphadora walked into the grounds of Black Manor with a smirk on her face, ignoring the impatient look of Rodolphus as she walked straight past the two teenagers sat on the bench and walked up to her husband.

"Nice of you to join us, Nymphadora." Rodolphus drawled.

"Sorry." Dora shrugged, taking her husband's out stretched hand as she noted his suppressed smirk with amusement. "I had to finish feeding Bella before I could hunt down Andromeda and beg her to babysit. I hope you didn't start without me?"

"They won't even tell us why we're out here." Delphi groaned, leaning back into the bench as she folded her arms.

"I'm sorry, do you have better places to be?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow at the girl, ignoring her childish glare back at him.

"What's going on, mother?" Rigel asked, confusion on his pale features.

Dora sighed, trying to ignore the fact her son was suddenly calling her 'mother' now instead of 'mum' or 'mummy'. She would have to have stern words with Rabastan about forcing her son to grow up without her consent. "We're going to teach you how to duel, Rigel."

"Andromeda's already been teaching us that." Delphi frowned.

"Andromeda has been teaching you the concept," Rabastan rolled his eyes "how to duel in ways that you would learn at school."

"Which is no fun, really." Dora shrugged.

"Forgetting the fact that it's practically useless against skilled duellists." Rodolphus muttered.

"Yes, that to." Dora rolled her eyes, enjoying herself far more than she should be. "We believe that you two should learn to duel the way that we duel."

"Didn't Mum teach you how to duel?" Delphi asked eagerly, sitting forward on her seat.

"Yes." Dora laughed slightly at the memory "Though I was ten years older than you when she did that, maybe it might be more fair for you if I give you warning before you start a duel or—you know actually explain myself before I start flinging spells."

"Besides," Rabastan gave his wife a mischievous grin before he spoke again "we think you should probably witness a duel or two first—get a feel for it before we try and throw you in the deep end—so to speak."

"So you two are going to duel each other?" Rigel's eyes widened slightly as he looked between his parents.

" _Actually_ Rigel," Rodolphus smirked, Rabastan frowning in confusion as Dora nervously bit her lip "your mother and I were talking last night and we decided maybe she and I would be better off demonstrating."

"What?" Rabastan snapped "Rodolphus—"

"It was your wife's idea, brother." Rodolphus smirked, drawing his wand as he began to make some space between himself and the witch.

She didn't look at her husband, though she could feel his look of shocked disapproval practically boring into her as she drew her own wand "Well," Dora lowered her voice so the children couldn't hear "let's face it Rab, could you _really_ hurt me?"

"You—"

"I know, I'm an amazing duellist—You wouldn't get a spell in." Dora smirked before she looked up to her husband, sighing and kissing him as she ignored the children's looks of disapproval of the lingering gesture of love. "You would barely try to get a hit in at me. They need to learn, Rab. Rod won't hold back, neither will I."

"That's what I'm worried about." Rabastan muttered, looking cautiously to his elder brother.

"Don't worry, Rabastan." Rodolphus smirked. "I'll make sure she can be healed easily enough."

"Ha!" Dora flung a spell at the man, giggling as he deflected it easily "And I'll make sure you're walking sideways for days."

"Bring it on, Nymphadora." Rodolphus smirked as he sent spells flying back at her.

Within an instant they were furiously locked in a duel. Rabastan barely made it past them to the two waiting children as he quickly put a shield up to defend them from any stray spells. He anxiously watched the pair, it was clear from the grins on their faces and the flurry of spell work going back and forth between them that they were enjoying themselves. If either of them were honest it was the most alive they had felt in years. They danced around each other, each one almost hitting the other every few moments. Rodolphus bent backwards to avoid a carefully placed curse, quickly sending one back at Nymphadora that caused her to dive out of the way though she still fired from her position on the floor.

"Had enough yet, Nymphie?" Rod laughed, getting closer to the girl as she struggled to hold him back so well from her positon on the floor.

"Not yet." Dora replied, gritting her teeth to stop herself yelling out in pain as a spell hit her arm.

"Sure?" Rodolphus asked, taking a step back as the girl got to her feet again.

"Stop trying to distract me!" Dora yelled, her hair burning a bright red as she put all of her might into pushing the man back and submitting him into defeat.

"That's the point, girl. Did your mother not teach you well enough?" Rodolphus chuckled as he managed to direct Dora backwards again, smirking as she tripped and stumbled onto her back.

Dora couldn't help but yell out this time as her ankle twisted at the unnatural angle the fall along with a helping hand from a spell of Rodolphus' had put her ankle into. She pointed her wand up at the man, trying to push him away from her but it was no use, soon she was disarmed and the tip of the man's wand was pressing into her neck as he crouched beside her.

"Told you I'd make sure you could be easily healed." Rodolphus smirked.

Despite her agony Dora couldn't help the bark of laughter that escaped her. She couldn't blame the man for hurting her, she had practically asked for it after all. "You've been practising."

"Do you mind, Rodolphus?" Rabastan's voice called out, the man walking over to his wife and gesturing for his brother to remove his wand from her neck. "That is my wife you've just bloody hurt."

Rodolphus paused for a second before he shrugged, backing away from the girl. He looked to the children, Delphi's eyes wide with wonder whilst Rigel couldn't take his worried eye's off of his mother on the floor. "She's fine, Rigel." Rodolphus remarked, Rigel forcing himself to look at the man.

"Yes, just let me fix my ankle." Dora winced, blushing slightly as Rabastan healed it for her then went straight to work on the other area's on her body that his brother had clearly hit "I'll be fine, Rab. Just a little sore." She kissed the man before she gingerly stood on her own two feet again. "I'm just a little rusty with my duelling, next time I'll win."

"Th—That's _a little rusty_?" Rigel couldn't help but stammer.

"Well I used to be much quicker on my feet than that." Dora sighed "And I didn't think your Uncle Rodolphus would appreciate me flinging unforgivables at him." Rodolphus couldn't help but roll his eyes at the remark.

"Great." Delphi stood up, reaching for her own wand "Let's try it."

"Not so fast, Delphi." Dora said.

"Well we have to learn, don't we?" Delphi snapped back.

"Yes, but you can't just run head first into it." Dora frowned "You need to observe, to get the feel for it first."

"Did you have to watch a million and one duels before you got to do it?" Delphi demanded.

"Well no—I didn't actually get a choice the first time I got into a proper duel."

"And you came back covered in blood if I recall." Rodolphus looked to his brother "Not your finest moment."

"I didn't know." Rabastan mumbled.

"The point is I didn't know what I was doing and if Andromeda hadn't of healed me I would have bled out and died." Dora took her husbands hand, not wanting him to feel as if she was having a go at him, merely trying to get the point across to her younger sister.

"Well no-one here is trying to kill me!" Delphi yelled.

"Rabastan wasn't trying to kill me when we first met!" Dora couldn't help but yell back, getting annoyed with the girl already. She was trying to help her, trying to teach her how to survive in the world. Why must the girl always make her life so difficult even in such matters? "The point is he lost control and almost made a dire mistake for doing so. When you're in that mind set of duelling you can't control it, Delphi! None of us will duel you unless we feel you can at least hold your own ground for five minutes!"

"I can!"

"You can't!"

"Yes I can!" Delphi yelled, throwing a spell at the girl without warning.

Dora quickly deflected it, making sure it didn't rebound anywhere near the two children again as Rigel automatically got up and stood back from the girl. "Don't you _dare_!" Nymphadora yelled in fury, quickly sending a small hex at the girl to shock her so she could disarm her with ease. She grabbed the wand in her hand, pocketing it quickly.

"Give that back!" Delphi growled.

"No, not until you calm down." Dora nearly whispered, aware of the men staring at the pair.

Delphi let out an all mighty yell, the rest of the group jumping in shock as her magic went wild and shattered the nearest windows of the Manor. "I hate you!" Delphini gave a furious scream before she turned back and stormed back inside.

"Delphi—" Dora began, stopping when Rodolphus took her wrist to stop her running after her.

"Leave her to calm down." Rodolphus shook his head. "We can focus on Rigel for now."

". . . No." Nymphadora winced, pulling away and going after her sister.

She went straight to her sister's room, hearing the door slam before she even managed to reach the corridor. She was used to her sister's temper problems; it was almost a part of daily life of living with Delphini Riddle. If they girl didn't get what she wanted she would pull a tantrum of sorts until you either decided she could have her way or left her to it, the latter being the option ninety percent of the time. Nymphadora was done with such things, the older the girl got the worse it became and she could not step on eggshells around her sister for much longer. She was hardly surprised to feel the ward already placed on the girl's room as she reached out to knock, though that didn't surprise her she wished it wasn't the case.

"Delphi?" Dora called out, waiting a few moments for a reply before with a sigh she called again "Delphini, you know I have overriding power on the wards of this manor so _please_ take it down yourself or I'll take it down." No response, again unsurprising. She took a deep breath to prepare herself for what she knew would greet her inside the room before she placed her hand on the door, the wards soon crumbling to her command.

"Go away!" Delphi screamed as her sister opened the door, glaring at her furiously from across the room.

"No." Dora spoke calmly, closing the door behind her. "We need to talk."

"I'm done talking to you!" Delphi growled "You never let me do as I wish and I've had enough! If I want to duel I should be able to duel!"

" _Delphi_ —"

"Don't _Delphi_ me!" the girl spat, her face lit with fury. Merlin, she had inherited the Black temper. "You always do this! You treat me like some idiotic child when I'm not! I—Get off of my bed Nymphadora!"

Dora looked up to her sister, amazed at herself for keeping calm as she gently shook her head "We need to talk, Delphi. Now, are you willing to talk or would you prefer a screaming match? Personally I would prefer to talk."

"Don't act all high and mighty with me." Delphi spoke through gritted teeth, showing no signs of moving.

"Fine, I'll talk, you can listen." Dora sighed, cutting her sisters protest off " _Please Delphi_. Amuse me."

The girl glared furiously at her, folding her arms as she seemed to consider the girl before she nodded slightly. "Fine, I'm listening. But I'm not sitting down."

"Suit yourself." Dora shrugged, looking to the floor "Delphi, I have done so much to keep you here—with me. If it were up to Rabastan I would have never have taken you from Malfoy Manor when we fled, he was happy for Narcissa to pay a witch to take you and hide you away with her. But you are my sister and I promised our mother that I would protect you and love you as if you were my own. I have tried, Delphi— _so hard_ —yet all you do is throw it back in my face as if it were nothing. I want to teach you, to be there for you, to be everything that mother wanted me to be for you but I just can't." Dora winced as she heard her voice crack a little with her emotions. "I'm trying Delphi . . . Y—You just need to let me—you need to be patient."

Delphi narrowed her eyes at her older sister, considering her for a moment before she spoke quietly, anger present in her every word still "You don't help me, you just baby me and think you're helping but you're not. You know that mother and father would have taught me so much more than you have by now, shown me more too, don't you? I think you're just scared that I'm going to realise my full potential and become too powerful for you to handle. It's not fair! Even Rodolphus understands more than you do!"

"Delphi—"

"Shut up!" Delphi hissed. "You should be listening to me! What would my parents tell you if they were here today? What would my father—your _Lord_ —tell you?" Delphi glared furiously, blowing away a strand of hair that fell into her face as she looked to her sister with wide eyed accusation. It was unsettling how much she looked like her mother in that moment. " _Well_?"

"Mother would want you safe." Dora murmured.

"She would want me to be fighting! To be finding a way to get her Lord back! Not sitting around playing games waiting for you to teach me something useful!"

"You're not even 14 yet . . ."

"It doesn't matter!" Delphi screeched "Don't you understand who I am? Who my parents are!?"

"Yes!" Dora finally yelled back, standing up as she could feel the tips of her hair tinging red as she began to lose her patience with the girl in her anger "We _share a mother_ , Delphini! She didn't sit in Azkaban for all those years wondering 'Hmm, I wonder why my _child_ hasn't gone and risked her life in her stupidity to bring back The Dark Lord?'. She told Andromeda to keep me safe and train me on the unforgivables. She made me promise to keep you safe! I am doing that whilst teaching you—I'm sorry if you don't think I'm going fast enough but I'm in charge here! You are not! I don't care what your father would want, he didn't care about you as a person! He only cared about having another powerful servant to do his bidding—He didn't need an heir; he was _supposed to be_ immortal. You were just another pawn in his game!"

It was only when Nymphadora took paused and took a deep breath that she had realised what she had said. She was instantly mentally kicking herself for it. Poor Delphini looked like a dagger had just been plunged into her back, her dark eyes wide with an incredulous expression on her features. The older witch's hair immediately turned to black, biting her lip as she went to reach out to her sister. "I—I'm s—"

"Don't." Delphi breathed. "Don't apologise for something you mean . . . Just get out."

"Delphi—"

"Out!" Delphi snapped, pointing towards the door as she refused to look at her sister.

Dora looked to the girl for a few moments before with a small nod she walked out of the room. She knew fighting anymore with the girl was useless, she could feel the wards instantly go back up on the room and this time she was adamant she would not bring them down. The walk to her own room was almost trancelike, horrified of what she had said to her sister. Delphi was right, she did mean it . . . but that didn't make it right to say to a 13-year-old. The moment she entered her room she lay down on the bed, staring at the framed photograph she had of herself and her mother from her wedding day. Both Bellatrix and Nymphadora gave identical grins from the frame, their arms wrapped around each other's waists as they held back their fits of giggles at something Narcissa had said moments before the photograph was taken. She didn't realise the single tear that left her eyes, splashing onto the silk pillow case under her head, nor did she realise the countless tears that followed as she simply stared at the photograph. She only responded after she felt an arm wrap around her waist, pulling her into a warm body in an embrace. She took her husband's hand in her own, realising her tears yet unable to stop them.

"Shhh . . ." The man shushed softly in her ear, kissing her black wild locks that had appeared the moment she let herself mourn her mother so deeply. "It's okay . . ."

"It's not . . ." Dora whimpered, closing her eyes as she could no longer look at the happy photograph on the side. "I don't know what to do, Rab . . . I can't help her . . . I can't raise her like my own like I promised mother—she _won't let me_."

"I know . . ." Rab sighed, kissing her head again as he turned his wife into him, hugging her closely into himself as she pressed her face into his chest. "It's okay, you tried."

Dora simply shook her head, unable to speak of what she had said to the girl or her worries. She simply let herself cry as she clung onto her husband until she fell asleep in the mans loving embrace.


	21. Seeing Things

**Prophecy time! It's about time we got to this part. :D**

 **Dora**

* * *

Delphi scowled to herself as she escaped her sister and Andromeda. The longer she was locked up with them, the more annoying the two older witches became. The only person she could really trust was Rodolphus, as she only had to give him a look and he was helpless to tell her no.

She smiled, thinking of the man. He would only argue with her when he thought she was truly going to hurt herself. Out of all of them, Rodolphus understood her and cared for her the most. He didn't even blame her for not being able to tolerate little Bella, her two-year-old niece.

With a sigh, the young witch placed her hand against the door to their safe room, quickly entering. She was glad that Rodolphus had taken it upon himself to teach her how to really duel, even it meant she was constantly recovering from one injury or another.

She glanced around the room, gripping her wand firmly as she looked carefully for Rodolphus. He wasn't above sneaking up on and attacking her: she'd learned that very, very painfully. When she was satisfied that he was not in the room, she stood across from the door to wait for Rodolphus' arrival.

The young witch did not have to wait very long before the door opened and the man entered. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said simply.

Delphi just smirked at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Shall we?" she said as if asking him to dance.

He responded with a wandless hex, carelessly thrown before he drew his wand, parrying her attack. Her laughter made him smirk as he sent curse after curse her way. The fifteen-year-old girl had certainly learned a lot about dueling since he had given her a chance to prove herself.

Rodolphus had no doubt that the young woman Delphi was blossoming into would be just as powerful as her mother. Not so beautiful or perfect, though. Oh no. Not even Bellatrix's daughters could compare to the witch herself. Delphi knew this from all the times his memories had been too much and he'd yelled at her. She knew that Rodolphus would accept no alternative to his Bella.

He jumped out of the way of Delphi's barrage of curses, laughing delightedly at the progress her spellwork showed. Rodolphus loved to see the life in her eyes as she dueled, proud that he was the one who was preparing her, who had trained her. It amused him, in a bittersweet way, that Nymphadora could not handle her own sister, and the lot had fallen to him. She...

Delphi yelled in triumph as her curse struck the man directly in the chest, immediately following up with a _Crucio_. She didn't expect him to cry out, but she did know that one curse would not keep Rodolphus Lestrange down.

After a moment, she stopped, seeing Rodolphus fall to his knees, his eyes open but unfocused. Fright shot through her: what if she'd done something wrong? She didn't think she could really hurt the man...

"Rodolphus?" she asked in concern, her wand still pointed at him in case he attacked. "Rod, stop it. Stop pretending!"

He drew a shuddering breath and Delphi looked at the door, wondering if she should run get help for him when he began to speak. His voice was low and calm, and Delphini froze before him as his eyes focused on her.

" _When spares are spared_ ," Rodolphus breathed, his eyes wide as he pointed directly at Delphi, " _when time is turned_ —" Delphi shivered as she watched him speak, still confused. " _When unseen children murder their fathers will the Dark Lord return._ "

Silence followed, Delphi still on her guard as she stared at the man, his eyes unfocused again. Half afraid to startle him, Delphi finally whispered, "Rodolphus? Can you hear me?"

The man blinked, losing his balance and falling back onto the floor. "Oh," he groaned. "What—what happened? Did I lose?"

Delphini did not smile. "All you all right?"

"You...cursed me," Rodolphus winced in astonishment, rubbing his arm. "I don't remember any of it, but I can feel it..."

"You don't remember anything?" Delphi demanded. "Nothing?"

Rodolphus looked up at her, stopping trying to get up. "Delphi," he said quietly, "what did I do?"

She hesitated for a few moments, watching him carefully before she went to his side, kneeling next to him. "I'll show you," she said, breathless as she began to be excited about what had just happened. "Just let me heal you first."

He sat still as she placed her hand on his shoulder, reversing the curse she'd done and healing him from the _Crucio_ , though he rolled his eyes at her concern. "Delphi, I'm fine," he said. "Show me what I did."

Delphi drew a deep breath, then sat down next to him. "Look at the memory," she told him. "Don't argue: just look."

Rodolphus sighed and put the tip of his wand to her temple and said, " **Legilimens**!"

When Rodolphus left her mind, she watched him for a reaction, but he shook his head and looked down at his wand in his hand. "Shit. I'm seeing things."

A giggle escaped the girl, but she reached out and turned him to face her. "So it was a prophecy?" she asked him seriously.

"It...looks that way," Rodolphus muttered, then protested, "I'm no Seer, Delphi. I'm not! I didn't even take Divination at Hogwarts!"

"Rodolphus, you said the Dark Lord would return," Delphi whispered, looking into his eyes. "Could it be true?"

The man's eyes clouded before he looked away from the girl, divided in his thoughts. "I don't know."

Delphi glared at him. "Don't know?" she snapped. "Or don't want to know? This coming from you, one of the Dark Lord's most powerful Death Eaters!"

Rodolphus didn't even glance at her as he raised his sleeve to see his faded Dark Mark. "I will always return to the Dark Lord," he murmured, rubbing his Mark before he looked up to Delphi. "I am almost certain it is true," he said simply, though his heart was racing as his brain connected the situations.

For fourteen years, his Mark hadn't burned, hadn't bothered him at all. But this evening, as he was coming out of the vision, he realised that his Mark had burned fiercely for a few seconds. Just as he was about to say something else, he heard someone yell from the hallway, "Rodolphus! Rod, where are you?"

"Rabastan," Delphini hissed angrily, getting to her feet with her wand gripped tightly in her hand.

"Leave him alone," Rodolphus said sharply. "He probably felt his Mark burn too."

Delphi turned to stare at him as he got to his feet. "What?" she said in shock.

Rodolphus walked to the door. "The Dark Lord will return, Delphi, and we will all be faithful. Shall we go see what Rabastan's going on about?"

The two left the room, Rabastan hurrying up to them almost immediately. "Did—did you feel that?" he asked, self-conscious now that he had found his older brother.

"If you mean the Mark burning, then yes," Rodolphus answered.

"But he's..." Rabastan's voice trailed off when he saw Delphi standing behind his brother. "What is happening?" he sighed.

"And Nymphadora?" Rodolphus questioned. "Did she feel it too?"

"Yes," Rabastan frowned. "We were in the sitting room when it happened. What does this mean, Rod?"

Delphi stepped forward. "The Dark Lord will return once again."

Rabastan glared at her, and Rodolphus placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. "She is right, Rabastan," the older man said quietly. "Let's go find the others: you should all hear this at the same time."

They walked together to the sitting room, finding Nymphadora and Andromeda with little Bella, who immediately ran to her father, giggling. Rabastan lifted the toddler into his arms, sitting down next to Nymphadora. Bella wriggled to get down and her father set her on the floor, the child running over to Rodolphus.

Delphi stepped away from the little girl, seeing her sister frown at her behaviour, but Rodolphus leant down and lifted the child into his arms. "Hi, Belle," he said softly, kissing her dark curls.

Nymphadora looked at the man worriedly. "Rodolphus, do you know what's happened?" she asked him.

"Yes," Rodolphus answered, looking around the room. "Where's Rigel?"

"Here," came a voice from behind him as the teen slipped into the room. "Is everything all right?"

Rodolphus nodded, Delphi watching them all carefully as she sat down with Rigel and Andromeda. "This was probably the most unusual thing that has ever happened to me," he said, unsure of how to begin. "I really can't even remember doing it..."

Delphi leant forward excitedly. "He had a vision," she said, unable to keep silent. "And I saw it."

Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "A vision?"

"A Seeing," Rodolphus sighed. "At least, that's what it seemed to be like when I saw Delphi's memory of it. I can't remember saying or doing it at all."

Rabastan opened his mouth, then closed it again, shooting a distrustful look at Delphi. Nymphadora looked at her brother-in-law and asked, "Why did our Marks burn, then?"

Rodolphus looked at the two other Death Eaters in the room. "I...I said the Dark Lord was going to return," he said quietly, as if afraid to say it too loudly. "My Mark was burning as I became aware after the vision, but it wasn't a Summons. It was just a presence, a reminder of our duties."

"What did you say specifically, if I may ask?" Rigel asked, looking up at the man.

" _When spares are spared_ —" Rodolphus began, only to be interrupted by the two-year-old in his arms.

"Kill the spare!" little Bella giggled, looking up at her uncle.

Nymphadora looked shocked. "Where did she learn that?"

Andromeda sighed, looking from the toddler to her mother. "I told her part of the Dark Lord's return as a bedtime story one day last week," she answered. "She really likes that line."

Delphi looked down at her hands. "— _when time is turned, when unseen children murder their fathers, will the Dark Lord return._ "

Rabastan was unimpressed. "That's all?"

Rodolphus didn't look at his brother, looking from Nymphadora to Rigel to Andromeda. "I'm sure it's real," he said, finally setting Bella down to run play with her toys. "I'm sure of it."

Nymphadora bit her lip, glancing at her sister for a moment. "You know I have to ask, Delphi. Rod, are you sure that Delphi did not make this up in order to show it to you?" she asked the man. "Sure that she could not have activated your Mark? Our Marks?"

Delphi still hissed at her sister in anger, her locks tingeing red before she forced them back to silver, turning toward Rodolphus. The man looked at his brother, his sister-in-law, and Nymphadora before saying, "Even if she could activate our Dark Marks, I would know the Dark Lord's magic anywhere. I've felt it on Bellatrix thousands of times. There is no mistaking it."

"But we don't know when it will come true, or who will bring it to pass," Andromeda frowned. "Do we even know what the first part means?"

"All we can do is be ready," Rodolphus said quietly, turning to leave the room. Delphi hurried after the man, not wanting to stay with Andromeda and the rest of the Lestranges. "Delphi, I need time alone," he said to her when she caught up with him.

"Fine," she sighed.

"Be careful until Rabastan has had time to think this through," Rodolphus warned her. "I'll see you tomorrow: I'm not leaving my room again today."

Delphi frowned. "Will you be all right?"

He smirked. "I've been alone for years, Delphi," he told her. "Now is no different." He watched her leave, then went to his room, warding it fully so that no one could disturb him. He refused to talk to anyone until he knew what to think of what he had just done.

Rodolphus could not deny that he wanted to stay with what was left of his family and not be uprooted by another war. He drew up his sleeve to look at his Mark again. It was cool to the touch, faded once again. He hadn't imagined it...the others had felt it too. Delphi had seen him say the words.

The man groaned, putting his head in his hands. What had he started?

* * *

Once in their room, Nymphadora felt herself pulled into her husband's embrace and looked up at him. "Are you glad of this news?" she asked him hesitantly.

"Dora, we'd be free," he whispered in her ear. "We wouldn't have to hide anymore. The children could get out, and Bella could go to Hogwarts."

"Yes, but—" Dora bit her lip as she pulled away from her husband and sat down on the bed. "It's just that...it's peaceful here. Most of the time."

"It was true," Rabastan muttered after a moment, looking at her. "You really didn't want to be a Death Eater, even though you denied it."

Nymphadora winced. "Rabastan, I wanted to please Mother," she said. "I wanted her to be happy more than anything."

Rabastan frowned, concerned at his wife's thoughts. "And now that your mother is gone, you think you can just time out of your duties?" he said worriedly. "Dora, we are all bound to the Dark Lord through our Marks. Once you are in, there is no way out except death."

"Rab, I didn't mean it like that," Nymphadora sighed. "Mother taught me better than that. I will always obey the call of the Dark Lord. I'm just concerned...is the life of a Death Eater something we want the children dragged into? It's dangerous! What if something happened to Rigel, or even Bella?"

"Nothing is going to happen to our children, Dora," Rabastan said gently, sitting down beside her and slipping his arm around her. "It might not even come true in our lifetime, or not even come true at all. Not all Seeings come true, Dora. You remember seeing all those prophecies at the Ministry. Most of them are about things that will never happen."

"Rodolphus was so sure," Dora whispered. "And Delphi—she _will_ do whatever she can to bring him back, Rab." He looked suddenly infuriated, and Dora grasped his hand in hers. "You must try not to anger her, or say terrible things in front of her," she said to him gently. "If her father does indeed return, she will be at his right hand."

Rabastan winced. "Dear Merlin."

Nymphadora sighed a small laugh. "We'll have to be very careful around her," she said. "I don't know how Rodolphus puts up with her, bless him. I mean, even Mother was okay compared to Delphini Riddle." She rolled her eyes and Rabastan raised an eyebrow at her.

"Be careful of your own words," Rabastan smirked.

"I already told her that the Dark Lord only wanted her as a ready-made pawn," Nymphadora winced. "I don't know if I could do any worse unless I insulted the man to his face."

"Wow," Rabastan said with a nod. He then got to his feet and pulled his wife to her feet, looking straight into her black eyes. "Dora, do you—do you think Rodolphus and I should talk to Rigel about what he needs to do if something happens to us?"

"Only as a caution," Dora replied softly, reaching out to embrace the man who looked so awfully serious. "But I'm not going anywhere, and I will do everything in my power to keep you and the children with me."

Rabastan hugged her tightly, murmuring, "I'll do my best to protect you and Rigel and Bella."

Nymphadora nodded, but then she sighed again, thinking of another problem. "What about Andromeda?"

"What about her?"

"Well, she's not exactly one of us," Dora said doubtfully. "Though I can't just abandon her..."

"Dora, she hardly acts like a blood-traitor anymore even though she still isn't as supremist as we are," Rabastan rolled his eyes. "She acts the proper pureblood witch, just as _she_ was taught as a child."

"But what if we have to return to Malfoy Manor?" Dora persisted. "What will happen to her?"

Rabastan chuckled. "Dora, we don't have to go anywhere. This is your house, and we've made it our home. I don't think we need to leave it. I'm sure you'd find a way to keep Andromeda somehow, knowing what you did in the first place."

Nymphadora nodded, pressing her face into her husband's neck as she remembered fleeing Malfoy Manor with him and the two older children. "I just want us to be all right," she whispered, her hands clenching onto the fabric of his shirt.

"Listen to me, Nymphadora," Rabastan said softly, his hand rubbing her back reassuringly. "We're going to be fine. I promise." He kissed the top of her head lovingly and she sighed, glad that he was there for her.

"Dora?" It was Andromeda, knocking on the door. "Bella needs you..."

"Later," Dora murmured, looking up and kissing Rabastan quickly. "I love you."

He smirked as he watched her walk toward the door, going to take care of their daughter. She was perfect in his eyes. "I love you too," he answered just before she left the room.

She turned back to him, halfway out the door, and winked. Then she was gone.


	22. Memories

**Sorry for the slight delay in this one, but here it is the latest chapter!**

 **Please do read, enjoy and please do leave a review if you have a moment we love hearing them!**

 **Bella**

* * *

 _"Tell me, Lucius." Bellatrix growled, inpatient as he narrowed her eyes at her from the opposite side of the sitting room._

 _"Why does it matter?" Lucius replied._

 _"Because I want to know, that's why it matters." Bellatrix said._

 _"So, ask him." Lucius snapped back._

 _Nymphadora Black leant back on the sofa next to her mother, she could see her mother becoming more and more impatient with the man as the time went on though Lucius Malfoy was either in a stubborn mood today or a very idiotic one. She personally wouldn't have dared try to hold information back from her mother if she wanted it this badly._

 _"Surely he should have told you by now, Bellatrix?" Lucius raised an eyebrow at the woman, taunting her was not the way to go this evening and Nymphadora was under the strong belief that if she had not have leant into her mother's side at that exact moment she would have got off of the sofa and cursed her brother-in-law for all he was worth._

 _"I've been a little pre-occupied, Lucius." Bellatrix hissed. "I spent my first week from Azkaban barely fit enough to walk, then in my second week I_ finally _got my daughter back—I've been training her since then. Please, pray tell Lucius, what have you been doing since The Dark Lord returned that has been so extremely useful? Apart from be forced to give up parts of your manor occasionally?"_

 _"Uncle Lucius," Nymphadora spoke firmly yet with a hint of kindness that her mother lacked as she looked to her Uncle, surely he could see the stupidity of holding such information from her mother? "please, I would quite like to know the story of how The Dark Lord returned."_

 _"I—" Lucius flickered his eyes to Bellatrix for a moment before he rolled his eyes "Fine. He summoned us to a grave yard, he had the Potter boy captured and he had already killed another by the time I arrived—Diggory—he wasn't supposed to have been there for what I had gathered. They got the Potter boy there via portkey, the Triwizard cup, seemed the idiots had decided they wanted to both be winners. Well that didn't turn out too well for either of them, did it?"_

 _"But_ how did he rise _?" Bellatrix hissed._

 _"Be patient, Bellatrix." Lucius snapped "If you want to hear the story then do not interrupt."_

 _Nymphadora was taken back slightly as she heard her mother growl at the man, she laced her fingers between her mother's own in hopes to calm her._

 _"So," Lucius continued "as I was saying. There were few who didn't turn up, Karkaroff, Barty Crouch—though that was simply because he was already following orders from the Dark Lord apparently—, those in Azkaban or dead, Snape—"_

 _"Snape didn't return?" Bellatrix gasped "Slimy traitorous—"_

 _"Bellatrix, you have seen him since then, he has clearly returned since." Lucius answered, annoyed "_ anyway. _He told us how he returned, he had been drifting apparently. He was bodiless, some sort of dark parasitic creature that had to possess the bodies of animals to survive. Though he eventually found a Wizard to possess and almost managed to kill the Potter boy he was not successful, he had to flee again. Eventually Wormtail found him—but Wormtail was wanted so he couldn't possess him—and brought him back to the country. He performed some sort of magic to give him a physical form. They managed to get the boy via the portkey to the graveyard—as I already said—and used an ancient magic of sorts that required his father's bones, something from a servant and something from an enemy. That's how he regained his full body."_

 _"Show me . . ." Bellatrix breathed._

 _"I am not letting_ you _into my mind, Bellatrix." Lucius scoffed, standing to his feet "Go ask Macnair, Avery or one of the others—perhaps they're dumb enough."_

 _"Scared I'd go looking for something you wouldn't want me to in that air head of yours, Malfoy?" Bellatrix taunted._

 _"You do not scare me, Bellatrix." Lucius said firmly before with one last look at the pair on the sofa he left the room._

 _"Idiot." Bellatrix breathed. "He should have gone searching for him, he should have ensured our master returned far sooner than this. He is a coward."_

 _"I think he knows that, mum." Dora couldn't help but laugh. "He's terrified of you."_

 _"You think?" Bellatrix grinned as she turned to her daughter._

 _"Definitely." Dora nodded, sitting up in her seat slightly now that there was no need to restrain her mother from attacking her Uncle anymore._

 _"Good." Bellatrix laughed for a moment before she sighed with a grin, jumping up to her feet and grabbing her daughters hand to drag her to her feet with her. "Come on, beautiful. We should be training, not sitting around talking."_

With a small gasp Nymphadora felt Delphini Riddle leave her mind, she blinked slightly as she tried to shake away the awkward feeling of having her sister explore her memories in such a way. She rubbed her temples as the fifteen-year-old pulled away from her, watching her pace the room as she stroked the hair of her sleeping daughter on her lap.

"That's less detailed than what Andromeda told me." Delphi snapped.

"Well that's all I was told to start with, Delphi." Dora sighed "I only heard little extra bits about his return here and there along the line as time went on. I know mother _did_ go off and convince Avery to let him see her memories—though don't necessarily tell Rodolphus that as I'm unsure as to how she convinced him—but that's how I learnt the extra facts. More things that were said and the likes."

"Yes, that's what's made me think maybe Cedric Diggory is the 'spare' . . . Though the rest of it makes no sense!" Delphi yelled in frustration, suddenly making Nymphadora very relieved that she had put a silencing ward around her sleeping child.

"You just have to think, Delphi." Dora sighed. "I'm sure it will make sense in the end."

"Show me more memories." Delphi demanded as she approached her sister again.

"Delphi, no." Nymphadora groaned "It is late, you have been searching around my mind for hours now and I so tired I can't even think straight let alone think of any sort of memory that may be useful to you right now."

"Show me more meetings." Delphi said, ignoring her sister's remarks of being tired.

"Delphi it's nearly midnight, I need to put Bella in her bed."

"She's fine there." Delphi flickered her eyes to her sleeping niece for a moment before she raised an eyebrow at her sister "Anyone would think you don't want to help me."

"Delphi don't be silly." Dora sighed "I'm trying to help you, if I didn't want to help you I wouldn't show you any of my memories."

"No, you're scared."

"Excuse me?" Dora raised an eyebrow "What have I got to be scared of?"

"Well, it's like mother said, isn't it?" Delphi said, flipping her long silver hair over her shoulder "You should have been looking for your _master_ all of these years, rather than hiding away in the dark and merely reproducing."

"Excuse me!" Nymphadora couldn't help but yell at the girl, though she deep down was worried of what would happen if or when her master returned she was not about to admit that to her sister and she had just been extremely rude "I have spent the last fourteen years of my life making sure that his daughter was not captured, taken, raised by merlin knows who and for all I know never even taught of her true parentage! Do not dare try and insult me, Delphini Riddle. You have no appreciation for what I have done for you over the years."

Delphi glared at her sister, she was unsure of what to say, though was sure if she did begin to scream back at her she would only end up cursing the woman with the child on her lap. She watched as she got up from her seat, cradling the two-year-old in her arms.

"I'm putting Bella to bed." Dora said, taking a deep breath as her red hair turned back to black "I will show you more memories tomorrow if you want to, but for now I need to sleep. Good night." And with that she walked from the room, kissing her daughters head as she tried not to let her sister infuriate her any further.

* * *

Rigel was sat in the study of Black Manor, pouring over the Lestrange grimoires. His father had left him for a few hours to go over the books on his own, he and his uncle had already been instructing him for a couple of years now on the ways of their family and it came to be that from time to time they would leave him to learn things on his own. It was as he was sat pouring over a particularly useful looking spell to heal some of the worst injuries caused by dark magic that the door creaked open. The boy frowned as Delphini Riddle entered the room, a glint in her dark eyes that let him know that she was clearly up to something.

"Delphi . . ." Rigel said, tilting his head as he frowned at the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to find you." Delphi smiled, far too innocently for his liking, as she walked over to the desk and sat before him.

"Me?" Rigel asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl. "Why me?"

"Perhaps I just wanted your company." Delphi feigned hurt "I'm aloud to want to talk to my nephew if I want to."

"I'm not calling you Auntie Delphi if you're trying to start that one again." Rigel groaned "It's weird, you're my age."

"No," Delphi rolled her eyes in amusement. "I've been trying to solve this merlin damned prophecy, I thought I'd come seek your company to break the intense boredom."

". . . Mum said you've been searching her memories." Rigel sat forward in his seat, ever so slightly curious about this strange prophecy. "Why?"

"Why do you think?" Delphi sighed, as if it was obvious. Though the boy merely shrugged his shoulders at her, she rolled her eyes. "If I can hope to understand the prophecy I need to look into the past for clues, anything from old meetings, old information—things stupid books that have been written on the war leave out."

"Mum doesn't like those books, she won't get them." Rigel said.

"But Andromeda doesn't mind getting a few for me." Delphi smirked.

"How?"

"She has her ways—it's unimportant." Delphi sighed. "But they're useless anyway, they're all one sided about how _awful_ my Father and his Death Eaters were, a load of rubbish." Though Delphi couldn't help but smirk as she remembered some of the 'awful' things she had read.

"So, ask Rodolphus to see his memories." Rigel suggested, though Delphi scoffed at this suggestion.

"I have." Delphi said "I've seen a lot of them—though your mother has memories from when Rodolphus wasn't around and mother didn't exactly pay him much attention once she got her precious first-born daughter back. Nymphadora has the most useful information I think."

"And have you actually managed to find anything useful?" Rigel asked.

"Some . . ." Delphi sighed, slumping back in her chair. "Though not enough. I'm still stuck . . . _When spares are spared . . ._ Well, father killed many people in his time—that's a lot of people that could have been 'spared' _. . .when time is turned,_. . . Fat lot of good that part does me at the moment . . . _when unseen children murder their fathers . . ._ Well I'm an 'unseen child' I suppose—no-one ever met me when I was born, I was kept an entire secret. I suppose that's why every time the Prophet reports on us they call me the 'mystery child'. Though how they could think I'm your mother's I'll never know . . . _will the dark lord return._ It means something. It all means something, but I can't figure it out."

"Well," Rigel thought for a moment before he looked to the silver haired girl in front of him " _When time is turned._ Time turners?"

"They don't exist anymore." Delphi snapped. "Nymphadora told me they all got destroyed in the ministry when Lucius Malfoy led a disastrous mission. Rodolphus said the same."

"Oh . . ." Rigel bit his lip in thought for a moment before he shrugged "Then I don't know. No clue. Sorry."

"Hmpf." Delphi furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as she got up from her chair. "Fat lot of good you are."

"I said I'm sorry." Rigel mumbled.

"It's fine." Delphi mumbled, though she was clearly annoyed as she went to leave the room.

At that moment, the boy's father entered the room. The girl stopped in her tracks for a moment as they both locked eyes, each with a look of annoyance and dislike for the other on their features. It wasn't until the man raised his eyebrow in challenge to the girl that she shook her head and left the room. Rabastan sighed as he shut the door behind her, looking to his son curiously.

"What was she doing in here?" Rabastan asked.

"Nothing." Rigel said, looking back to his book again.

" _Rigel._ " Rabastan walked over to the desk, his eyes boring into his son until he eventually sighed and leant back to look up at his father.

"She wanted to talk about the prophecy." Rigel said.

"The prophecy?" Rigel nodded in reply to his father. "I see . . ." Rabastan hesitated for a moment before he walked over to his son's chair, the boy automatically standing to look up at his father (though he was now nearly the man's own height). "Rigel, do not get involved in that prophecy."

"But—" Rigel frowned in confusion "why?"

"Because I asked you to." Rabastan stated.

"But surely you want the Dark Lord to return?" Rigel asked, "It would mean the end of us living in hiding, we would be able to leave the manor, run free in the world."

Rabastan sighed as his son's hair tinged his favourite shade of bright green at the mere thought of it. "You're too young to understand, Rigel."

"Try me." Rigel said. "I'm not a child—"

"You are a child, you are my child and you will listen to what I tell you to do." Rabastan snapped, though as he watched the green fade from his son's hair again he pressed his fingers to his temples as he tried to think of how best to explain this to his son, to remind himself to stay calm with the boy. He couldn't help it but every time he saw Delphini Riddle she evoked a rage in him that was hard to control at times. "I'm sorry . . . Rigel you can't understand, you haven't lived through it all. I am not saying I would not want the Dark Lord back—not at all—though I ask you to try and not to get involved with Delphini's pursuit of solving and potentially starting this prophecy happening. Your Uncle is helping her, so is your mother by the sounds of things." Rigel couldn't help but think his father didn't seem very happy with that last part, though he didn't make a comment. "I merely ask that you focus on become the strong wizard that I know you can be. People too close to such plans as these do not fare well. You are my heir, Rigel, I want you safe."

Rigel thought for a moment. He couldn't see why he couldn't help Delphi, though as he looked up into his father's eyes he couldn't remember the last time he had seen him look so concerned for him. He gave a curt nod, if it was going to make his father happy it was the least he could do to agree to what he had asked. Though that didn't necessarily mean he had to keep to his word, it just meant he had to be more discreet if he did so choose to help Delphini Riddle.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed that! Please do drop us a review!**


	23. The Time Turner

**I felt awkward writing the last scene, leaving Rigel standing in the hallway, but I did love writing. Thank you so much for all your continued support! It is very much appreciated.**

 **Dora**

* * *

"Ahhhh!" the now-common frustrated yell of Delphini Riddle echoed through Andromeda's room as the young witch threw herself onto her aunt's bed.

Andromeda glanced at the girl in the mirror, giving her a sympathetic look. "We'll figure it out, Delphi," she told her, turning from the mirror when she was satisfied with her appearance. "Now, how do I look?"

Delphi sighed, rolling over to look up at the older witch. The woman was completely unrecognisable, her hair and face changed to make her look much younger. She had pulled back her red hair from her face, her eyes a light brown. "I have to go to a different place this time," she sighed, straightening her skirt and shirt. "And I am not excited that I have to wear Muggle clothes."

"You look hideous," Delphi said truthfully, sitting up. "It's too bad Rabastan won't let Dora go out. She finds it a lot easier than you do."

"Well, she needs to stay here with the children," Andromeda said sensibly. "But I should be back soon. I hate going out during the day."

Delphi gave a small nod, and the witch sighed. "Stay out of trouble while I'm gone," Andromeda said quietly. "I'll work on it again when I return."

The younger witch smirked and gave no reply, though she accompanied her aunt to the doors of the mansion. Andromeda left quickly without looking back, striding far out into the grounds before she crossed the wards and disapparated. She did not like going out now that they had to keep switching between markets and shops since Nymphadora had been recognised a few weeks back. Andromeda smirked. That had been something no one would volunteer to tell Rabastan, though it was a miracle that the incident hadn't ended up in the paper.

It didn't take Andromeda very long to gather and pay for the things that her family needed, though she felt slightly nervous when she saw her nephew Draco and his son Scorpius. She couldn't remember how old the boy would have been, though she thought he looked about five or six. Forcing herself to turn away from them in case Draco became suspicious of her, Andromeda walked down the street in the opposite direction, soon entering the Knockturn equivalent of the area.

Now feeling endangered, Andromeda pulled her hood up over her face and hurried toward the apparition point at the other end of the street. She was nearly there when something caught her eye and she slipped quietly through the doors of a shop, a soft chime going off the moment she entered. She answered the greeting of the shopkeeper who shot her a suspicious look but didn't walk toward her.

Something hanging on the wall adjacent to the display window had caught her eye, and she wanted to investigate it. Andromeda looked around for a few moments until she spotted it, dangling from a silver chain. She studied it a bit before she decided that Delphi needed to know before anyone did anything. Andromeda pretended to carefully look around at a few other things in the shop before she left and began to walk toward the nearest apparition point.

Andromeda was relieved to get back to the house and set her packages down so she could go find Delphini. She was glad to locate Delphi and Rodolphus together in their practise room. "Delphi," she said immediately, interrupting their fierce duel without a thought. "I discovered something I'll think you'll want to know."

Delphi did not pause in her duel until she managed to get a hex in on Rodolphus, making him hiss slightly as his wand went flying across the room. Rodolphus flexed his right wrist and winced. "That was good," he admitted, holding out his hand for his wand.

"Let me guess," Andromeda smirked. "Dora and Rab don't know you can best Rodolphus."

"For two reasons," Delphi laughed. "They wouldn't like it and Rodolphus would never live it down."

"Enough, enough," Rodolphus said, turning to Andromeda. "What was it that you were going to say?"

Andromeda looked straight at her niece. "I found a Time Turner: they have not all been destroyed."

Delphi stared for a moment, then asked, "Where is it?"

"In one of the shops by the market I just came from," Andromeda replied breathlessly. "It was hanging on the wall...it seems to be in perfect condition. If you want, we can go back for it tonight."

"Nymphadora will want to go," Rodolphus said simply. "We'll probably have to wait until Rabastan is asleep."

"Unless we go during the day," Delphi replied. "Rigel would distract his father for us, I'm sure."

"You're sure?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow. "Rabastan hasn't told him off for bowing to your every whim?"

"Well, he didn't listen if so," Rodolphus chuckled. "Rigel's grown up quite a lot in the last few years: he isn't as compliant to anyone's orders anymore."

Andromeda smirked. "Then it's settled. If Rigel can be persuaded to distract Rab, then we can go after the Time Turner tomorrow. I'm sure Dora will come with us, and we can leave Belle with the house elves for a little while."

Delphi frowned. "Do you think Dora will agree to it?"

"She won't want to miss it," Rodolphus answered with a smirk. "Trust me. In fact, let's see if she will join us, and we can make some plans."

"I'll get her," Andromeda said. "I can make it seem more normal than sending an elf after her would." She turned and left the room as the other two grinned at each other.

* * *

Andromeda shook her head at the grins the other three were sharing as they looked both ways down the hall before hurrying out of the house into the grounds. Nymphadora, Delphi, and Rodolphus were entirely too happy about going out and stealing a Time Turner from some unsuspecting shop owner. Andromeda hoped going with them would keep the three from doing any unnecessary damage.

She had already let them know where the shop was, and Rodolphus had surprised them all by telling them he knew the shop owner. Dora had informed Rodolphus that they had no time to reminisce or bargain with old friends, and he just rolled his eyes at her. Delphi did not comment on all their chatter as they left the wards one by one, walking a little way away before disapparating.

The three appeared close to the shop, Andromeda and Rodolphus hurrying ahead. Delphi walked after them, Dora following quickly. "Just be quick," Delphi told them.

"Stay together," Rodolphus ordered them. "I'll be back." He strode into the shop and disappeared into the back aisles.

"Well, come on," Delphi said impatiently, grasping Andromeda's arm. "Where was it?"

Andromeda swatted the girl's hand away from her. "Behave," she hissed at Delphi. "Come along." She walked away toward one of the wall displays, expecting the two to follow.

Nymphadora spotted the Time Turner first and pointed excitedly. "There!"

Andromeda pulled Dora's hand down. "Have you both gone mad?" she demanded in a hushed tone. "We are in a public place! For Merlin's sake, be proper!"

Delphini smirked. "Yeah, Nymphie."

The witch's hair shot red, and Andromeda glared at both of them, placing a hand on Dora's shoulder to keep her quiet. All of them straightened up as Rodolphus approached them with the shopkeeper, Dora morphing her hair back to black.

The shopkeeper went straight to the wall and took down the Time Turner, turning to the three females. "I was told one of you is very interested in this?"

Delphi glanced at Rodolphus, whose expression did not change. She finally said, "I have been on the lookout for a Time Turner."

The man held out the object to her and said, "Take it, as a gift."

One look at the man's face and Andromeda knew that Rodolphus had told him something about Delphi. Nymphadora moved to her sister's side protectively, a cold expression on her face. Rodolphus nodded to the man, excusing the four of them and leading them toward the door. Nymphadora chilled in horror when as soon as they walked out the door, there was a yell of "Lestrange!" and spells began to fly.

"I'm really getting tired of that," Andromeda commented as Rod, Dora, and Delphi all dueled fiercely. She joined the fight quickly, hearing Rodolphus order them to fight to flee.

Dora was standing by her sister, always wanting to protect her. Andromeda dueled carefully, but Rodolphus dueled purposefully, edging away from the building so they could disapparate. He scowled when he realised Delphi wasn't even trying to leave the place. Catching Dora's gaze as well, Rodolphus hurried back to the young girl, grabbing her and pulling her away as he attempted to duel her adversaries.

Andromeda and Dora covered Rodolphus and Delphi as he half dragged her from the fight. The moment he was clear of the fight, he disapparated with her. The two other witches quickly followed.

They arrived on the grounds almost at the same time, Nymphadora sighing in exasperation. "She's too much like Mother," Dora groaned.

Andromeda nodded ruefully. "Are you all right?"

"Yes," Dora answered, biting her lip as a door slammed down the hall. "Oh dear."

They both winced at Rabastan's yell of "I will _not_ calm down, Rigel! How could you agree to this after _I told you_ —" He stopped as he saw his wife standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall. "Dora," he said, unable to find more to say.

Dora saw her son walk up behind Rabastan and felt a little guilty about letting him distract his father. She hurried to her husband, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm fine," she murmured, hugging him.

Rabastan embraced her wordlessly until he was sure she was all right. "It's not worth it," he whispered, holding her close. "Freedom isn't worth the risk of losing you or the children."

Andromeda awkwardly looked away from the two, and Rigel questioned, "Where's Delphi? And Rodolphus?"

Nymphadora bit her lip, looking up. "They left before we did..." she began as Rabastan loosened his grip on her, realising how panicked he must seem.

"Well, if we've lost either of them," Andromeda said, looking around at the others, "we might be compromised."

"Fortify the wards," Rabastan said without hesitation.

"You can't leave them out there!" Dora cried.

"We can't leave Rodolphus without shelter," Rigel protested.

Rabastan whirled on his son. "I don't want to hear another word out of you, boy," he said sternly.

Dora bit her lip as Rabastan turned to her. "The wards," he said quietly.

She could see the pain in his eyes: he did not want to abandon his brother either, but Rab cared far more for his own family. Dora winced as his grip tightened again. She would never forgive herself if she abandoned her sister. She looked up to deny her husband's request and jumped in shock as a tremendous crack and a scream rang throughout the hall.

Rodolphus and Delphi had come straight through the wards and it looked like Rodolphus was attempting to restrain the witch. "Let me go!" she screamed in rage, her hair bright red. Her magic crackled and Rodolphus slammed her against the wall, his wand in her stomach.

"Don't you dare," he growled at her. "You are not here to fight a war on your own, Delphini. You cannot defeat them all alone—don't kick me."

"Let me go!" she yelled again, ignoring his wand stabbing her in the ribs. "I won't forget this, Rodolphus!"

"Delphi, calm, please," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll let you go if you'll talk quietly.

Her glared did not cool, though she hissed through her teeth, "We were betrayed!"

Rodolphus sighed. "Well, it was four of us in broad daylight, but the shopkeeper was not the one," he said to the young witch. "I bound him not to speak of what I told him."

"We could have defeated them!" Delphi snapped, glaring past Rodolphus at Nymphadora and Andromeda.

"It is more important that we focus on the prophecy," Rodolphus told her firmly, drawing her attention again. "You need to be alive and free for this to happen, Delphi. You will get your revenge and defeat your enemies in time. We cannot afford to lose you over so small a mission!"

"I would have been fine," Delphini snapped at him, her hair returning to silver. "You should have helped me."

Rodolphus looked at her for a moment, then gave her a begrudging look of amusement. "You sound just like your mother," he muttered for her ears only.

She snorted in derision, pushing his hand and wand away from her. "I'm still angry with you," she said haughtily before striding off down the hall.

Rodolphus watched her go, sighing before he smiled to himself and shook his head.

The silence was only broken when Rabastan demanded, "Whose idea was this little excursion?"

"It was mine," Rodolphus and Andromeda spoke at the same time, both frowning at each other.

Rabastan looked uncertainly between the two, then glanced at his wife. "What was the purpose?" he asked, taking a deep breath.

Nymphadora sighed. "A Time Turner," she admitted. "We spotted one getting supplies a day or two ago. Delphi now has it."

"The plan was foolproof," Rodolphus sighed.

"Except Delphi didn't stick to it," Andromeda frowned.

Rodolphus smirked. "Her mother never did. You shouldn't expect it of Delphi."

Rabastan scowled. "All four of you went out to retrieve a Time Turner?"

Andromeda drew herself up and glared at the man. "We wish to do what we can to help Delphi in her cause," she said sharply. "If you are so opposed to it, you can explain that at the Dark Lord's feet should we succeed!"

"Andromeda!" Nymphadora said in horror. "Do not say such things!"

"You cannot ignore how obvious your own husband is about his reluctance to bring back the Dark Lord, regardless of any benefit it would bring," Andromeda told the younger woman firmly. "Delphi knows this, Dora. None of us should risk opposing this prophecy."

"I do not oppose it!" Rabastan hissed at the brown-haired witch.

"Whether you hinder any possible progress, or merely stand by," Andromeda began.

"As Lucius likes to do," Rodolphus mused, grinning when Rigel's mouth fell open in shock.

"—it is fairly obvious that you do not care enough about it," Andromeda told Rabastan, whose face was lit with anger. "It is not enough to just let it happen. You have the opportunity to help, to be very useful in returning the Dark Lord to power. Is it not important to you that your family remain in high standing with the Dark Lord and his followers? Let it not be said—"

A quiet voice broke through Andromeda's accusing tone. "Any more and you will have gone too far."

Everyone turned to look at Rigel, but the young man did not flinch, looking straight at his aunt. Andromeda gave him a small nod, then turned and quickly slipped off down the hall. Rodolphus clapped the boy on the shoulder, then walked off in the direction of his own room, leaving the boy with his parents.

Nymphadora had one arm wrapped around her husband, looking into his face cautiously as he still looked furious. He turned to her and muttered, "Do you agree with her?"

"Well, you would never hear the end of it if by bringing the Dark Lord back, we managed to get Mother back as well," Dora sighed. "You've said yourself that she would want us to find him, to bring him back. Especially now that we have a prophecy, we have a chance that something will happen."

"Mother wouldn't say the things that Aunt Andromeda said," Rigel said hesitantly, not sure if he was allowed to speak to his father quite yet. "But if Bellatrix was here—at least from what I've heard—there would have been some screaming and Cursing instead of mere words."

"I know you want to help Delphi," Rabastan said to Dora, shuddering slightly, "but I don't want you to be in danger. I want us to be free again, but...I can't risk you. And I can't raise Rigel and little Bella alone."

"Then help us," Dora whispered, her other hand sliding up to grip the front of his shirt entreatingly. "Stand by me as I stand by you."

Rabastan seemed to shiver slightly, then pulled his wife close, burying his face in her hair. She embraced him tightly, wondering at how much he seemed to be struggling mentally. "It's okay," she whispered, her hand carefully stroking his back. "Andromeda and Rod and I all look out for each other when we're out. We'll be fine, Rab. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Rigel shifted awkwardly, watching his father and mother embrace, the witch trying to keep her husband in his right mind. He didn't know if he should stay, never having seen his father in such a state before.

Dora felt her husband's arms tighten around her and hugged him in return. "Please," the man whispered. "Don't sneak out anymore. I can't be here alone not knowing what's going on. I need to make sure you're safe."

"Okay," Dora murmured to him. "I promise, Rabastan. Come: let's go find a bit of quiet."

Rabastan did not protest, allowing himself to be led away down the hall.


	24. Growing up

**Thanks for all your support so far. :) Please read, enjoy and please do leave a review if you have a moment.**

 **Bella**

* * *

 _Rabastan grinned broadly, wrapping his arms around his new wife as she gently leant her head upon her shoulder, the pair swaying around the dance floor as their peers watched. Dora let out a hum of contentment as her husband stroked the delicate white lace on her hip, blushing as Rabastan let out a soft chuckle. She closed her eyes as he leant down and kissed her hair, the black locks turning pink._

 _"I love you, Nymphie."_

 _"Dora." She couldn't help but scoff in amusement, looking up to see into her husband's eyes._

 _"Dora," Rabastan smirked, pressing his lips to her own "I love you. I'll always love you."_

Dora smiled wistfully at the small silver frame on her bedside table, her fingers tracing the edge of the frame. She felt her husband's pulling her closer to himself, kissing her tinged pink black hair before he rested his cheek against her own to look at the two figures lovingly swaying around in their little frame.

"It seems like yesterday you know, in some ways." Dora whispered, bringing her husbands hand up to gently kiss his knuckles.

"I'm old now . . ." Rabastan murmured.

"If you're old I'm old." Dora laughed slightly.

"No, I'm in my fifties, you're not even in your forties yet."

"You're 51." Dora scoffed. "And I'm not far off 40."

"Mmm," Rab shrugged slightly, kissing Dora's cheek. "Still look as young and beautiful as the day I met you."

Dora couldn't help but laugh at that, shifting in his arms to turn and look into his dark eyes "Well, I'd like to think we've matured since then—or do you still just want to _get in my pants_?"

"You'll never let me live down telling you that, will you?" Rab rolled his eyes in amusement before feigning serious "No, Madame Lestrange, that is simply one of my many goals with you at this moment in time." Dora hit his shoulder playfully, accepting his kiss for a few moments before pulling away. She bit her lip slightly as he frowned down at her. "We need to talk Rab . . ."

"About?" Rabastan asked, though she was sure he knew what about.

"About earlier," Dora sighed "I know you don't want to, but I'm worried about you."

"Worried that The Dark Lord will rise and curse me for my 'reluctance' to bring him back?" Rabastan rolled away from Nymphadora as he laid staring at the ceiling.

"No." Dora shook her head, pulling herself closer to him again as she rested her head on his chest "I'm worried about you now, not for what may or may not come later . . . I'm worried about your— . . . Your mind."

"I'm fine, Dora." Rabastan murmured, letting his hand rest on his wife's back.

"No, you're not." Dora spoke more firmly, sitting up suddenly as she looked to her husband's confused expression for a moment before turning away with a shake of her head. "I—I'm worried about you. You're my husband, the father of my children, one of the few people in this world I can't live without—I don't want you to suffer. I know your mind isn't . . . isn't untouched, from Azkaban . . . But I want you to be okay and I don't—I don't want you to—I—"

"You don't want me to turn out like your mother." Rabastan finished her sentence for her, sitting up to meet his wife and encircling his arms around her. He kissed her head as his hearted ached at her quite sobs. "Shhh, love. I won't. I have you . . . You keep me grounded. I—I just can't cope with the idea of losing you, that's why I got a little . . . upset."

"You won't lose me." Dora insisted, turning and wrapping her arms around her husband's neck, wiping her tears on the shoulder of his robes. "But we need to help—"

"Dora," Rab winced "please—I—I don't want to think about it. Please . . . Just lay with me?"

Nymphadora hesitated for a second, sniffing back more tears until she eventually nodded. As her husband laid back on the bed with her in his arms, pulling their sheets over them she wished she could lay cocooned with only their love forever. Though she knew she was naïve to think that there were not difficult times ahead that would no doubt test everyone in their house.

"Hello." Delphini Riddle's voice called out as she walked down the corridor towards her sister. There was an eerily smug grin on her face that made the elder witch raise an eyebrow at the girl, she had seen that look one too many times on their mother to not know that the teenager was up to something.

"Hello, Delphi . . ." Dora said cautiously, stopping as the girl reached her.

"Lovely day, isn't it?" Delphi mused.

"Not particularly." Dora replied. It wasn't a lovely day, not at all. Not only was it raining outside tomorrow would be the anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts, a time of year that she could never enjoy, not one bit.

"Spoil sport." Delphi rolled her eyes. "Cheer up, Nymphie."

"Don't call me Nymphie." Dora rolled her eyes.

"Rab does." Delphi shrugged.

"Well that's different."

"Because that's his pet name for you?" Delphi teased, "Is that what he uses in the bedroom?"

"Delphini!" Dora gawped at the girl, not expecting to hear such things from her littler sisters mouth. It was true she was sixteen now, but still it seemed . . . weird.

Delphini merely laughed, "See you later, Nymphie." She called, walking off in the opposite direction to her sister.

Dora shook her head, trying to put her sisters strange behaviour out of her mind as she continued her walk down to the library. Chances were if she were up to something particularly dangerous or stupid that Rodolphus would already know about it or be able to put a stop to it quite quickly when he undoubtedly found out. Though the mere existence of Delphini Riddle had been difficult for Rodolphus to begin with, he had now seemed to have formed some strange close bond with the girl. Dora sighed at the thought as she walked into the library though she frowned in confusion as she felt wards on the room that were not her. Without a second thought she removed the wards, walking in though she soon stopped in her tracks the moment she saw the figure sat in one of the armchairs glaring furiously at a book. Delphini Riddle no longer seemed happy.

"Delphi?" Dora spoke catiously.

"Leave me alone." Delphi snapped, "I'm not in the—What are you doing!?" the girl stared wide eyed at her sister as she stared at the point of her wand, scrambling for her own though she was soon bound to the seat. "Stop it!"

"What did I get you for your eleven birthday?" Dora demanded of the girl.

"Wha—"

"What did I get you!?"

"Marvolo!" Delphi cried, "You got me my snake, Marvolo. You and Rodolphus woke me up with him on my eleventh birthday."

Dora hesitated for a moment before she released the bonds on the girl, "There's two of you . . ." she went to turn to leave the room, adamant to find the other Delphini before she felt her sister grab her hand.

"I know there's two of me!" Delphi hissed. "That's why I'm hiding in here. I used the time turner."

"You—I—Ergh!" Dora yelled in frustration before she placed wards in the room, locking the two of them in and soundproofing it, "Delphini, do you have any idea how dangerous that is!"

"It's fine." Delphi scowled, rubbing her arms where the bonds were moments before.

"You can't let—"

"People see me, I know." Delphi rolled her eyes again. "That's why I'm hiding away in here. I _did_ ward the room."

"And what if Rodolphus took down those wards and came in, or Rabastan? Even Andromeda?" Dora let out a groan of frustration as she sat in one of the other armchairs. "They might not think to question you before they came to their own conclusions. What if you'd gone too far back? What if we saw you before we knew of the time turner and did something unthinkable? Even if we thought it was a morph or polyjuice potion you would not enjoy the methods used to reverse those affects, only pinpointed extreme agony can force someone out of a morph for starters—and that doesn't even work all of the time."

"It doesn't matter." Delphini snapped, "It's broken, it can't go back more than a few hours at most. It's useless." The girl glared at her sister as she pulled the time turner out of her pocket, throwing it on the woman's lap. "It needs fixing, see? I tried going back at five, it's half three now, I've been sat here since two."

"Delphi . . ." Dora sighed, looking at the thing in her hand before she looked back to her sister. The girl looked upset, a sadness that was carefully covered by the anger on her features though Dora knew her too well. Perhaps now wasn't the time to reprimand her. "Where you simply testing it out? Or were you trying to get somewhere specific?"

"I— . . ." Delphi stared at her sister for a moment before she averted her gaze back to the book in her lap, "Both."

"So you've solved some of the prophecy?" Dora asked curiously.

"No . . ." Delphi mumbled, "I— . . . I thought I could make it go back years . . . It's May 1st today."

Dora felt a lump in her throat, she knew exactly what her sister had been trying to do. "You can't go back to 1998 . . . It was dangerous, for starters. You would never be able to stop your father starting that battle anyway, darling."

Delphi continued to stare at her book "But . . . I might be able to stop mum . . . I— . . . It would be easier with her here."

It was like a dagger in her heart, though the thought of the day her mother had died had grown less painful throughout the years hearing it from her sister in such a way was not something she could easily cope with. "No." Dora swallowed, closing her eyes for a moment before she looked to her sister again, waiting for her dark eyes to meet her own, "she was utterly devout to him. There would be no way that she would not answer his call to fight—perhaps even if that request came from you . . . I loved her, Delphi and she loved you—both of us— _so much_ , albeit in her own strange way. Though as much as I loved her," Dora bit her lip, unsure of how to put her thoughts into words without causing her sister upsert, "I don't think we would have lasted so long in hiding if Mum was with us too. She would have been too hell bent on getting your father back—going all the _wrong_ ways about it, it is precisely what got her caught the first time she went to Azkaban. She got Rabastan, Rodolphus and Barty Crouch Jr to come out of hiding and torture these Aurors into insanity thinking she could get information out of them. It didn't work . . . I love her and I miss her terribly, I watched her die and it was one of the most horrible things I have ever had to experience . . . but I don't know what would happen if she were here."

There was a long pause in the room, neither witch saying a word as they stared into each others eyes, the younger girls expression unreadable. Dora was about to give up on her sister ever speaking to her again when the girl finally breathed "Andromeda wouldn't be here, for starters."

"No," Dora couldn't help but laugh in relief, "she most certainly would not. I remember the day of the battle I suggested if anything were to happen to all of us Andromeda might take Rigel, the reply from your mother—and Rabastan—was not pleasant."

"I can imagine." Delphi smirked, "Tell me about mum . . ."

"Tell you what, Delphi?" Dora sighed as she leaned back in her seat, though she smiled slightly at the teenager, "You've already asked everyone a million and one questions, delved into our memories; what more could you want?"

Delphi shrugged, closing the book on her lap. "Tell me something you wouldn't know unless you _knew_ her, something I haven't seen."

Dora thought for a moment, her eyes wondering around the room until she rested her gaze on an old portrait of her mother and Rodolphus. The pair were clearly recently married and the witch was obviously not enjoying being stood in the frame with the man. She nodded to the portrait as she spoke "See that necklace she's wearing in that photograph?" Delphi nodded as Dora continued, "It's an Augurey skull. Mum used to have a bit of a fascination with them, they say that the Augurey cry foretells death—complete nonsense really, they actually sing when it's going to rain. But she much preferred the myth to the truth, said that they would evoke fear into people and she liked that, plus the fact that there was something 'beautifully sad about them'."

"I think I prefer the myth too . . ." Delphi smiled sadly, staring at the portrait whilst both girls silently reminisced about their late mother.

* * *

Rodolphus Lestrange opened his bedroom door with a flick of his wrist, not looking up from his book on his bed as his visitor let their selves in and closed the door behind them. "What can I do for you, Rigel?" He said.

"How did you know it was me?" The boy asked.

"Delphi just lets herself in of late, your father would not have come to my room unless it was urgent, Andromeda never comes to my room and your mother would have tested the room to see if it was warded before she knocked." Rodolphus sighed, putting his book down on the side as he stood to look at the boy, "You don't usually come here unaccompanied though. So I ask again, what can I do for you, Rigel?"

"I—" Rigel swallowed hard before he drew himself up, trying to seem as proper and sincere as he had been trained to be by his Uncle and Father over the last few years. "You're going for supplies later, aren't you?"

"Yes." Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "Do you need something? I'm not about to go out and get you magazines that your mother wouldn't approve of if that's what you're after."

"No!" Rigel spluttered, sometimes he swore his Uncle just said things to try and get a reaction out of him.

"Then what?" Rodolphus smirked.

"I want to come with you." Rigel spoke with all seriousness.

Rodolphus paused for a moment before he spoke again, "Have you asked your parents?"

"No." Rigel said, "Though I'm seventeen next year, Delphi has been out of the manor and I haven't. If you and father are trying to teach me to be the head of the Lestrange house and 'be a man', then I must be given the opportunity to actually act like one. I want to help provide for us."

Rodolphus considered the boy for a moment before without a moments notice he walked over to his bedroom door, opening it and only stopping when the boy didn't move. He nodded impatiently for the boy to follow him though when he went to speak he merely shook his head, leaving the boy to rush behind his long strides to keep up with him. Rodolphus couldn't help but be amused as the boy couldn't help but show his nerves as he entered the library where his parents were currently sat going over old parchments.

"Rod?" Rabastan frowned slightly, looking between his brother and son.

"What's wrong?" Dora asked, sitting up to no longer lean into her husband's arms as she frowned at her son "Are you okay, Rigel?"

"Yes," Rigel nodded, "I—"

"Rigel wishes to join me in my supply venture out of the manor for supplies." Rodolphus said casually, "I did consider just taking him, though I was sure Dora would have a heart attack the minute she felt him leave the ward."

"No." Rabastan immediately got to his feet, narrowing his eyes at his brother "He is a child, what are you thinking even considering it?"

"He makes the point, the very valid point, that we expect him to be the head of the House of Lestrange one day. That we are trying to encourage him to 'be a man', his words, so we should apparently treat him as such." Rodolphus shrugged, "I can't help but agree. Delphi has been out of the manor before—"

"That's different!" Rabastan snapped.

"How?" Rigel couldn't help but glare at his father slightly as he stepped towards him.

"Rigel, your father's right, it's not safe." Dora sighed, putting a hand on her husband's shoulder as she tried to stop him from turning his fear and anger onto their son. "You need to stay here—"

"For how long?" Rigel interrupted, his hair tinging red now, "Delphini got to go out. I have spent my _entire life_ locked away, I spent—what was it, two days?—out of Malfoy Manor when I was one then I've been locked here for the rest of my life!"

"Rigel, it's for your own safety—"

"No, Mum, no it's not!" Rigel couldn't help but yell at his mother, "I'm not a wanted criminal! You are! Dad is! Uncle Rodolphus is! Andromeda is! Hell, even Delphini would be screwed if anyone found out who she really is. But I'm safe, no-one would hurt me. No-one would hurt Bella for that matter! Yet here we are, missing out on Hogwarts, missing out on friendships, missing out on _having a life_ because decisions _you_ made! I have just as much a right to leave and help and _do something,_ whether it be to help or to simply get some air, as anyone under this roof and you can't deny me that as you have everything else in my life to date!" Rigel panted in his anger as he finished speaking, trying to calm himself. Though the minute he saw the crestfallen look on his mother's usually happy features he couldn't help but feel a stab in his heart. He hadn't intended to upset his mother, it just came out. He knew why they were in hiding, he didn't disagree with his parents service to The Dark Lord . . . he just wished he hadn't worded it that way.

"Well . . ." Dora breathed, suddenly averting her gaze from her son, "I—It's up to your father, isn't it. Now, if you'll excuse me, Bella will wake up from her nap soon."

"Mum—"

"Excuse me." Dora said, not looking at her son as she rushed out of the room, though he was sure he could see her hair turning to a mousey brown as she quickly shut the door behind her.

"You've upset your mother." Rabastan stated matter of factly, "Was it worth it?"

"Answer your father, boy." Rodolphus said after a few moments.

"I didn't mean to upset her, sir." Rigel said, more hesitant than before, "I just . . . I'll be 17 next year, legally an adult. You want to train me and teach me to be strong, be the head of a household . . . though you won't even let me step foot outside of the wards."

Rabastan stared at his son for a long while before he nodded, his expression stiff as he looked to his brother. "You plan it carefully, you make sure he morphs and you do not let him out of your sight." He waited for his brother to nod in agreement before he looked at his son one more time. "I need to check on your mother, I have no doubt you've probably made her cry."

The eldest and youngest Lestrange men didn't say a word until the sound of Rabastan's footsteps disappeared down the corridor. Rodolphus let out a deep sigh, the boy waiting for him to have a go at him as well. "Come on then."

Rigel couldn't help but frown at the man, "Come on?"

"Well, you wanted to go out, didn't you?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "I have no doubt your father will be stealing the last of my Whiskey after that little episode anyway, the sooner we leave the sooner we come back."

Rigel didn't question the man, simply nodded as he led him from the room. He tried not to think about how he had upset his parents, he wanted to forget the whole ordeal. Though he was sure Delphini would be taunting him about it as soon as she heard of it.


	25. Growing

**I do apologise for the extremely long wait on this chapter, though here it is now, and please enjoy!**

 **Trixie Black Lestrange**

* * *

Rigel was very quiet the entire time he and Rodolphus were out; in fact, Rodolphus had to keep looking around to make sure the boy was there. Rodolphus was almost amused at the situation that had happened, but he knew that the boy's parents had to give him some freedom eventually. As they were walking back toward the manor, however, Rodolphus felt it necessary to caution the boy.

"Rigel," he began simply, "I don't think your father is very happy with you."

"I don't care what he thinks," Rigel said sharply. "Well, I do, but the important thing is Mother. I didn't mean to hurt her. I'm going to talk to her as soon as I can."

Rodolphus nodded in agreement. "Well, if you've got it under control, I'll drop these things off for the house elves."

Rigel gave his uncle a grateful look. "Thank you, sir," he said, then turned and hurried to his parents' room. He nervously knocked on the door, seeking entrance, and stepped back quickly when his father opened the door, a look of accusation on his face. "Father," he said quickly, "may I speak to Mother?"

"I think you've had enough words with her for the day," Rabastan said cooly. "She's only just stopped crying."

"I need to apologise to her," Rigel said quietly. "I was wrong to speak to her as I did, and I need to make it right."

"You were pretty awful," Rabastan mused. "You must be my son." Rigel just stared at him. Rabastan shrugged. "She's waiting: go on in. And if you upset her again, you and I will be having some strong words, Rigel."

"Yes, Father," he said, then slipped past him into the room as the door shut between them once again. Nymphadora was sitting on the bed, watching him as he walked toward her. He stood before her for a moment, trying to think of how to begin without sounding like a complete idiot.

"I was wrong," he said finally, looking into his mother's eyes in spite of wanting to stare anywhere else around the room. "You and Father have done everything in your power to keep me, my sister, and Delphi safe and happy, and I must seem like a very ungrateful son after my outburst earlier."

The young man sighed, seeing his mother look away from him. "I can't imagine what those times were like, Mum," he said quietly, "all around that last battle. I've only heard stories of the danger, and I know you would only do something if you believed it was the best thing for our family. I know why I shouldn't risk being caught: I don't want to be the reason that my family is found and torn apart." Rigel drew a deep breath. "If I ever go out into the world, Mum, I think I would never see any of you again. I couldn't return: I know that."

Nymphadora watched him speak, her eyes filled with tears again. "Rigel," she whispered, "you don't want to leave us, do you?"

"No," Rigel winced at the hurt tone in her voice. "What I mean is that, if I were ever caught while I was out, I would not be able to come home. I don't know how long we'll all be staying here, but I doubt Delphi is planning to stick around for many more years. I guess...I'm questioning what the future will bring, Mum, and I have no answers."

"Sit," Nymphadora sniffed, patting the bed next to her. A few minutes went by of them sitting silently side by side before Dora said, "Eventually, you _will_ be expected to go out there and find yourself a decent wife to continue our House. We might never see you again when that happens, so we've got to prepare you for what you might face. You've grown up so much, Rigel, from the scared little boy that used to run around this house."

Dora smiled weakly at his slight embarrassment. "We know it's not time for you to leave us yet, but I think only you will be able to tell us when you are ready," she continued, sniffing a little. "I'm not looking forward to growing old in this place, believe me."

Rigel frowned. "It's hardly fair to you," he said. "According to Rodolphus, you weren't all that bad."

Dora's mouth fell open. "I'll have you know I did just as much in the service of the Dark Lord as he did!" she said firmly.

"I'm not arguing with you about this, too," Rigel laughed. "I'll let you take that up with him. But Mother..." he took her hand in his, looking into her eyes again. "I want you to know that I'm sorry about my behaviour and that I will do better in the future."

"Forgiven," Dora murmured, reaching to wrap her arms around her almost grown son. "I love you, Rigel."

"I love you too, Mother," he answered, reaching out to hold her for a moment. He was relieved that their conversation had gone so well, as now he knew she was willing to let him go eventually.

* * *

He ignored her.

For the past half hour, Delphi had been trying to get him to talk about his disagreement with his parents, but Rigel refused to answer her questions. The boy just continued to scan the _Prophet_ for any interesting news as Delphi huffed impatiently.

"Hey!" Rigel half yelled as Marvolo poked his head between the paper and the boy meaningfully. "Delphi, can't you just let it go for a little while?"

"Rigel," she pouted, though her eyes sparkled with mischief, "what could you have possibly said to Nymphie to make her allow you to go out with Rodolphus?"

He went to look back down at the paper and suddenly yelped in pain, finding himself on the floor as Delphi had hexed him. She stood over him, glaring at him with Marvolo around her shoulders. "How dare you," he snapped, reaching for his wand even as he rolled over to escape her next spell.

Delphi aimed carefully, forcing herself to use simple spells to try to keep the young man down. "I've been patient," she said, advancing on him as he had to back off. "But I'm tired of your ignoring me, Rigel." The boy tried to stop her, but he ended up flat against the wall, her wand pointed at his chest as she looked into his eyes commandingly.

"Fine," he grumbled. "What do you want?"

"Did your mother allow you to go running around with Rodolphus?" Delphi asked eagerly. "What did she say? I know you were out of the wards for a little while."

"I managed to convince Mother and Father that since I am not wanted by the Ministry, I should not be locked up in this house against my will," Rigel answered with a scowl. "I will be going out with Rodolphus every so often from now on."

"And Nymphie's okay with that?" Delphi raised an eyebrow.

Rigel rolled his eyes at her. "She told me that I will eventually be expected to go find myself a wife and all," he said. "And she said that she didn't think you would stick around for much longer."

Delphi burst into giggles, stepping back from him. "Does she really? And perhaps you should go find yourself a wife, Rigel. She might teach you how to be a better listener."

"I listen to those who have important things to say," Rigel retorted, wrenching away from her and summoning his wand and the paper. "Talk to your serpent, Delphi. I'm finished."

The door had barely shut behind him when he heard a hex splatter against the other side of it and heard Delphi's muffled yell of annoyance. Delphini Riddle was entirely too much sometimes.

* * *

Delphi approached Rodolphus in the library a few days later, the man also ignoring her as he continued to peruse his chosen book. "Roddy!" she sing-songed, sidling up to him and looking over his shoulder. "What so interests you that nothing can distract you?"

He looked up from the book, glancing at the young woman. "Don't call me Roddy," he said distantly. "I've told you that before, Delphini. As for this..." he indicated the book in his hand "I was merely attempting to enjoy a small portion of this story Nymphadora recommended before you find me and drag me away for some unearthly reason."

Delphi laughed. "Rodolphus, we have all the time in the world for such things-well, at least, you do." She seated herself next to him and he sighed, setting the book down to listen to her. "Rigel told me that Dora thinks I'm not going to stay here much longer," she mused. "Apparently she wasn't too distressed at the idea?"

"Nymphadora knows there is little she can do to restrain you once you are of age," Rodolphus agreed. "She is still fearful, of course, but I have confidence in you."

"You wouldn't be concerned if...I saw fit to leave us and go on my own?" Delphi questioned.

"You can leave either after I die, or if you take me with you," Rodolphus answered simply.

Delphi stared at him. "Rodolphus Lestrange, I will not—"

Rodolphus shook his head. "I don't want to know where or when you go," he told her quietly. "But I expect you to make your parents proud. I expect great things of you, Delphini. I am already proud of you—though your mother once told me that I'm much too easy to please."

"I don't believe you," Delphi said softly, taking his hand in hers. "You're a much more strict teacher than Andromeda."

The man glanced over at his book again, then said, "You have a lot to live up to, girl."

Delphi nodded, her head bowed slightly. "Are you sure you don't want to keep contact?" she asked.

"I might miss you," Rodolphus said, getting to his feet and looking down at her. "It depends on whether you decide to honour my wishes." He picked up the book, then turned and left the room.

Delphi sat there a moment longer, wondering where she was going to go. As she too left the room, she knew she would miss her mother's husband when she left. Good thing she didn't have to obey his request...

* * *

Rabastan smiled at his daughter as the girl sat beside him, chattering away about something her brother had taught her. Nymphadora leant into him, a smile of contentment on her face as she rested quietly, her eyes closed. Dora only looked up when she heard little Bella say, "Hi, Uncle Rod."

"Rodolphus," the younger brother said to him. "Something on your mind?"

"When you and Dora are free, I would like a word with you both," Rodolphus answered, leaning down to hug his niece. "Hi, Belle."

"I'm not Belle," the little girl pouted. "I'm Bella."

"But you're not _my_ Bella," Rodolphus answered clearly. "It's special that I call you Belle because I'm the only one that does."

Bella pouted up at him. "Okayyy," she sighed, reaching up to him.

Rodolphus lifted the girl into his arms, hugging her close as he kissed her dark curls. The little girl pulled away from him a little, though she lifted her hand to ruffle his hair as she'd seen her mother do to her brother. "You're old," Bella said, noting more than a sprinkling of grey in the man's dark hair.

The toddler looked into the man's face, grinning at his teasing look. Rodolphus reached out and pulled a lock of her own hair before her eyes, laughing slightly as her eyes widened at the sight of her black hair turning grey. "Nooo," she groaned, giggling at Rodolphus' mischief.

"Grey is beautiful," Rodolphus told the child with a small smirk. He set her down and Bella left the room in search of Andromeda, tugging at her grey locks.

"What is it, Rod?" asked Nymphadora, watching the man glance after the child. "You seemed concerned."

The man approached the couple and said, "It's just Delphi."

Rabastan just shook his head. "She's nearly seventeen: you won't have to concern yourself with her for long."

"Of course you don't care," Rodolphus shrugged. "That's okay; she knows, Rabastan."

Rabastan's eyes narrowed at his brother, but Dora placed a hand on his knee to keep him calm. "What is Delphi up to now?" Dora asked Rod.

"She was asking me about leaving," Rodolphus answered quietly. "She will be leaving within the next couple years, I'm sure. We need to prepare for her leaving."

"Can we not think about that yet?" Dora sighed, shaking her head.

"Well, we should think about Delphi-proofing the wards when she leaves," Rabastan mused. "I mean, she can't just walk in and visit if she's going out to attempt fulfilling your damn prophecy, Rod."

"You're an idiot if you want to hold that prophecy against me," Rodolphus said coldly. "It was not something I could prevent, nor something I would have tried to prevent."

"Boys," Nymphadora sighed, looking between the brothers as she sensed her husband's irritation, "please don't. We will discuss security measures to put in place when it is necessary."

Rodolphus looked down at his sister-in-law, forcing himself to just look at her and breathe. It wasn't until he walked out of the room that he tried to reason through his anger at his foolish brother. Dora would listen: she usually listened, even if she constantly sided with her husband. The man strode along the hall, Delphi looking out of her room at him.

Without a word, she joined his walk to the practise room and the two faced each other for mere seconds across the room before they fell into a fierce duel. It was calming to just attack someone, Rodolphus thought to himself as he faced Delphini. To face a worthy opponent was a great relief. He genuinely didn't know what he would do or what would happen when she was gone.

* * *

Rigel and his uncle walked into the Manor from one of their supply runs, both laughing uproariously. "We're late," Rodolphus chuckled. "Go to the dining room: it's lunch time. I'll be right there."

The boy nodded and hurried off. Rodolphus dropped off the groceries and things to the house elves, then made his way to the dining room. Rabastan looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Nice of you two to join us," he said.

Rodolphus seated himself, a smirk on his face. "Do you and Dora remember the Granger Mudblood?" he asked them without ceremony.

"Not personally," Rabastan frowned. "But I know her face."

"Well, Mum and I questioned her together when she'd been captured one time," Dora laughed. "So I suppose I remember her. Why?"

Andromeda frowned at these words as Bella looked up at her mother curiously. Rodolphus didn't acknowledge anyone else's reaction. "Well, it seems she has some high goals," Rodolphus mused. "She's just announced that she's going to run for Minister."

Dora raised an eyebrow. "Wonderful," she said briskly, and Rabastan shook his head at the idea.

"Oh, that's not the best part," Rigel told them with a grin. "Guess who's become Head of the Auror Office?"

"Potter," Delphi said immediately, her expression darkening.

Rigel nodded at the girl. "You're right," he told her.

Rabastan just shook his head. "Everything is so different now...it's just not like it used to be."

"I mean, if that's the kind of people they want looking for us," Rodolphus shrugged. "Potter should have stuck to Quidditch: at least he was good at finding the Snitch."

"Well, we're not causing trouble," Dora grinned, "so we're probably not top priority anymore."

"We should do something," Delphi said, sitting up straighter and grinning too. "Just to congratulate Potter on his promotion."

Rodolphus laughed. "Let's remind him we exist," he said in amusement. "Rattle his confidence a little."

Rabastan raised an eyebrow. "You can't actually mean to go out and do something," he said to his brother.

"I do," Rodolphus grinned. "And you should help, Rab. The two of us and Delphi can cause a small uproar, I'm sure."

"What if you're caught?" Dora protested. "This is not a good idea."

"We won't do too much damage," Rabastan reassured her, his eyes beginning to sparkle with delight. "We'll just...make a point and come straight back home."

Dora looked at the brothers, then over at Delphi, who looked delighted as well. She turned to Andromeda, who just shook her head with a smile. Nymphadora bit her lip slightly. "Just be careful," she told the three, and they nodded, all exchanging looks of anticipation.

* * *

A few days later, Nymphadora was relieved to welcome the three back home, Rabastan immediately wrapping his arm around her and kissing her cheek. "Told you we'd be fine," he grinned.

"You're welcome," Rodolphus growled before shaking his head.

Delphi giggled delightedly. "Rab almost didn't make it out," she smirked. "He was too distracted by the smoke."

"I was not," Rabastan said, rolling his eyes at the two. "We decided to make it seem like they were being attacked from all sides at the ceremony, so we split up."

"You didn't," Nymphadora sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Rabastan, one of these days, that's not going to work out so well."

"Well, it did today," Rabastan reasoned. "Don't worry about it too much. Anyway, we made a lot of noise, and lots of smoke. There was enough screaming without us doing practically anything."

"It was like they thought they were safe," Rodolphus chuckled.

Bella looked up at her uncle and said in confusion, "But if you were there, wouldn't it be safe?"

Rabastan turned to speak to his little girl, but Rodolphus had already knelt down to Bella's level to look into her dark eyes. "The people I'm talking about don't like us, Belle," he told her simply. "And I don't like them. I could have hurt them, but I didn't."

The little girl nodded in understanding, surprised at the sudden look of anger and sorrow in the man's eyes. "It's okay," she said, reaching out and hugging him around the neck. "Dad says they'll suffer for what they've done."

Rodolphus hugged his niece silently, then let her go and walked away from his brother's family. It was moments like these when he missed Bellatrix the most, when he wanted her back no matter how strained a relationship they had had. No, he doubted that Potter and his friends would ever be sufficiently punished for taking away his Bella.


	26. Family

**Again, sorry for the long wait for an update. Both of our lives have gotten pretty hectic at the moment but we will try to update more often, promise!**

 **Here you go, please do read, enjoy and drop us a review if you have a minute!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora was lost in her own thoughts again, barely registering the world around her as she lay on the couch. She stared at the portrait of Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan above the fire place in the sitting room. She had to admit it was one of her favourite portraits and one of the only ones that she had taken from the hidden corners of the manor to be more proudly on display. She loved it even after Rabastan pointed out the fact that the only reason Rodolphus had his hand on Bella's shoulder was because she had just finished yelling at him and he was trying to keep her still with her fake smile plastered on her face. She didn't care, it showed her mother's fiery personality through and through.

"Mummy?" Bella called, getting up from her position playing with her dolls on the floor as she walked over to her.

"Hmm?"

"Mummy," Bella groaned, putting both of her arms down harshly on her mother's stomach making her wince, "you're not paying attention."

"No," Dora sighed, "sorry."

"Why?" Bella furrowed her brows in annoyance.

"Mummy's distracted, sweetheart." Dora moved the girl's arms off of her stomach, making herself sit up as little Bella climbed up onto the couch to join her. "I'm thinking."

"About?" Bella scowled, "I'm more important."

"You are." Dora laughed, pulling the girl onto her lap and kissing her head, "Little mischief." Bella giggled, leaning back into her mother. "Just like your Mummy."

"Good!" Bella grinned.

"Bella . . ." Dora sighed as her gaze flickered back to the portrait, unable to shake her thoughts from her head, "Do you want to go play with Daddy or Andromeda for a bit?"

"I wanna play with you." Bella whined.

"I know," Dora bit her lip, "but Mummy has to go deal with something that's playing on her mind, I'll come find you later I promise."

Bella narrowed her eyes at her mother in a way that was comedic for a three-year-old before she let out a dramatic huff of annoyance. "Fine! I'll go play with Andromeda—Daddy doesn't understand playing dollies."

"Okay, I'm sure she'll be delighted to play dolls with you." Dora smiled as the girl got off of her lap, gathering her dolls before she went off to no doubt attempt to force Andromeda Tonks into yet another tea party. Dora waited until the little girl was entirely out of her sight before with a sigh she left the room. It didn't take long to find the person she was looking for, using her power over the knowledge of the wards of the manor to instantly locate Rodolphus Lestrange in the depths of the grounds. Rodolphus was sat on the edge of the small lake at the bottom of the grounds, barely within the wards as he leant up against a small tree watching the ripples of the water. His eyes only wavered to his sister-in-law for a moment as she slipped down to sit beside him.

"Watching the world go by?" Dora asked, unsurprised when she didn't get a reply from the man, "It is peaceful out here."

"Yes, a good place to be alone." Rodolphus drawled.

"You're always alone." Dora rolled her eyes, "Either alone or off doing Merlin knows what with Delphi."

"I'm training her, you know that." Rodolphus said.

"I know . . ." Dora shrugged.

The pair sat in silence for a few minutes, each staring out at the water. It didn't take long for Rodolphus to let out a sigh of annoyance as the woman absentmindedly pulled grass from the ground. "What do you want?"

"I don't know what you mean." Dora feigned innocence as the man raised an eyebrow at her.

"You're as bad as your mother, do you know that?" Rodolphus asked.

"I believe you may have told me that in the past . . . a _few_ times." Dora smirked as the man rolled his eyes. ". . . I was thinking . . . We spend enough time training the children and making sure they're prepared should there be a fight—or preparing them to take over the world in Delphini's case apparently—but . . . I haven't had a _proper_ duel in years."

"Not since we first tried to show Rigel and Delphini how to duel?" Rodolphus smirked.

"Even that was tame—and you broke my ankle." Dora scoffed.

"Well, I could have made it harder for you, though it was a little hard with little brother watching." Rodolphus shrugged, "He should know just as much as I do that there is no point in holding back in a duel—even if it is for training. Delphi and I never hold back and she's half your age and Bella and I certainly did not hold back." Rod's voice trailed slightly towards the end of his sentence, his gaze become distant again.

". . . I miss her." Dora breathed, cursing herself in her mind immediately as she felt the man tense beside her. She had not come out here to put her grief onto Rodolphus, she had sought the man out because she was worried about _him_. She closed her eyes, taking in the sunlight on her skin as she tried to think of how to turn this around again. "She wouldn't want us to be sat moping around, you know." Nymphadora said eventually, deciding her subtle approach to broaching the subject with the man was not working and she would clearly need to be more direct and abrupt.

"I'm not moping." Rodolphus rolled his eyes.

"You are." Dora disagreed, opening her eyes to see the man looking to her with mild irritation, "You moped for years. You stopped when you started training Delphini—I'll give you that. But ever since this prophecy it's become more and more apparent to you—to all of us really—that Delphi is going to have to leave the Manor and go on her path to try and put the worlds to rights and she's going to have to do it alone. Now every minute you're not with Delphi you're moping about wondering what you're going to do with yourself. Really—"

"Shut up, Nymphadora." Rodolphus hissed.

"No, you've got no reason to mope and I won't have it—Mum would tell you off for it, you know she would, so I'm doing it on her behalf." Dora huffed. "It won't be that awful when she leaves, Rod."

"That's easy for you to say." The man got to his feet, glaring down at the girl staring up at him quizzically, "You still have your spouse, your _children_ —You even have another mother!"

"Andromeda is not a replacement for Mum!" Dora snapped, getting angry now as she rose to glare at him, "You aren't the only person who lost someone they loved back in Hogwarts, Rodolphus! And you are not alone! You have your brother, me, your niece and your nephew before you even count Delphi or Andromeda for that matter. You're not the only person that gets upset, that gets angry, that wishes they could go back in time as they play over that night in their mind again and again until you start to go insane."

"You don't understand, Nymphadora." Rodolphus glared.

"You're right, I don't." Dora shrugged, "I don't understand how you see yourself as some loner in a manor full of people that actually do give a shit about you whether you want to accept it or not. I didn't come out here to have a stroll, Rodolphus, I came out here to find you to see if you were okay. I'm worried about you."

"Worry about yourself and leave me alone." Rodolphus growled, not giving the girl another chance to speak before he stormed off up to the manor leaving his sister-in-law to stare after him in frustrated concern.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Rabastan murmured, pulling his wife closer into his arms as they lay under the duvet, it was gone past midnight and although Rabastan was already drifting off he couldn't help but notice his wife's mind was clearly elsewhere.

"Nothing." Nymphadora mumbled, kissing her husband's cheek gently before she snuggled into his embrace.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a terrible liar?" Rabastan sighed, reaching under his wife's chin to get her to look up towards his own dark eyes.

"Only you." Dora smirked half-heartedly, the man raising an eyebrow at her before she sighed and let Rabastan stroke the stray hairs from her face. "I upset your brother today."

"My brother is constantly upset."

"That's what I told him." Dora rolled her eyes at her husband's look, "Not in those words exactly . . . I told him to stop moping around."

"Why would you do that?" Rabastan frowned, "That really is asking for an argument, Nymphadora, you should know better than that."

" _I was trying to help_." Dora insisted, "Then he went and accused me of not caring about Mum—said I had another mother."

"She is not your mother." Rabastan said firmly.

"I know." Dora shushed the man, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her head into his chest. "I just don't want Rodolphus to . . . well, I don't want him to suffer when Delphini leaves . . . I dread to think what he'll be like with nothing to distract him."

"He clings to that girl." Rabastan sighed, "He seems to—perhaps subconsciously—see her as one last piece of Bellatrix to hold on to . . . It's rather bizarre considering his first reactions to her as a babe."

"He never hated Delphini," Dora shook her head, "he simply wished she was his. I saw him with her when she was first born, that look when he was alone with her wasn't hatred—it was longing . . . and sadness."

Rabastan watched his wife carefully, frowning as he watched her hair turn a mousey brown. He paused for a moment before he kissed her hair, murmuring against her dull strands, "You still miss her, don't you?"

". . . Every day." Nymphadora barely whispered, shaking slightly in the man's arms in her sorrow.

"I'm sorry . . ." Rabastan spoke softly, bringing his wife closer to himself. "I should have been more supportive when it first happened."

"You were in shock." Nymphadora sniffed, "I did just drag you into a blood traitor's home."

"You were in shock too." Rabastan chuckled slightly despite himself "I have never truly wanted to hurt you . . . I love you."

"I love you too." Dora replied after a moment.

The pair remained in silence after that, wrapped in each other's arms as Rabastan gently rubbed Nymphadora's back, thinking of all the times he had wronged the young witch as he swore to himself to make it up to her.

* * *

Rigel Lestrange walked down the wizarding high street with confidence. His hair was morphed to a dull blonde, one of his father's older robes pulled around him to protect him against the cold air. He had wanted to go out on his own ever since his first visit to the outside world, though he knew that it would never be agreed to by his parents. This was why they didn't know. He had approached Rodolphus the previous evening, knowing that his only hope of ever going out alone unnoticed would be if he had an accomplice. It had not been difficult to convince him, out of everyone in his home it seemed that Rodolphus was always the most encouraging when it came to the children of the house 'growing up'. He had left the house with the man as planned, letting him apparate him to the old town of Hogsmeade and the moment they had arrived Rodolphus had gone off to gather the supplies that they needed with the agreement of meeting each other later. It was an amazing feeling, to be so free without the watchful eyes of his family staring down upon him. To the boys joy it also seemed to be one of the weekends that the Hogwarts students were permitted to visit the village. Children of all ages were running up and down the wizarding highstreets, the sweet shop rammed to capacity with the students getting their sugar fix whilst others went about their business in the various shops.

The boy grinned to himself as he decided that he would make his way to the three broomsticks. He slipped through the crowds of students within, rummaging in his pocket to get to the spare galleons that Rodolphus had given him as he walked to the bar. It was as he failed to pay attention to where he was going that Rigel Lestrange's inherited clumsiness came into play, quickly colliding with a girl making her way from the bar.

"Watch it!" The younger girl sighed, shaking her head at the spilt contents of her Butterbeer now dripping down the front of Rigel's robes.

"Sorry." Rigel murmured, keen not to bring too much attention to himself as he quickly passed the girl and went to the bar, pulling himself up on to one of the stalls and smiling as he pulled out the money he had been looking for. It was as he looked up to try and grab the attention of the barmaid that he noticed the girl sat next to him. She must have been around the same age as him, if not slightly younger, with long black hair and full red lips. She shook her head as she smirked at him. ". . . What?" Rigel couldn't help but ask as she seemingly refused to look away from him. "Did I do something amusing?"

"Yes." She said simply with a shrug, taking a sip of her Butterbeer.

"And what would that be?" Rigel asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Well, drenching Ginny was funny for starters." The girl scoffed.

"Ginny?" Rigel asked.

"I know, it's pathetic isn't it." She shook her head, "Naming your kids after _Battle of Hogwarts Heroes_." The girl made a retching gesture.

"Yeah, I suppose it is." Rigel agreed, he had to admit this was a craze that he wasn't familiar with.

"What's your name?" the girl asked curiously.

"I—" Rigel swallowed hard, not used to talking to people who couldn't know his true identity. He panicked and said the first thing he could think of "Rupert. Rupert Lister."

"Much better than the stupid 'hero names'," the girl smirked, "Though from the look of you I'd say you were probably born before the war?" the girl waited for Rigel to nod before she carried on, "I'm Tessa. I've not seen you before, Rupert."

"No." Rigel said simply, ordering his Butterbeer as he let a younger boy get past him to order a butter beer for him and his friends.

"Want to sit at a table?" Tessa asked curiously.

"Excuse me?" Rigel asked, a little taken back by the forwardness of the girl, "I've only just met you."

"And you intrigue me." Tessa rolled her eyes in amusement, "Come on, my friends have gone off to the shrieking shack and I'm sat here all on my own, keep a girl company?"

Rigel considered the girl for a moment, the voice of his parents practically screaming in his head to stay hidden, discreet and not to talk to people. He nodded. He was breaking every other rule that his parents had put on him already, what would this hurt?

"Good." The girl grinned, jumping down from her seat as she led the boy through the pub. She walked over to a small table in the corner, shooing away some younger looking students with ease.

Rigel awkwardly manoeuvred into the corner seat, placing his Butterbeer down on the table as he sat down opposite the girl. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Rigel asked eventually.

"Like what?" Tessa asked, her curious look soon disappearing from her pale features.

"Like . . . I don't know." Rigel shook his head, taking the chance to take a sip of his drink.

"I haven't seen you before . . . You're not a student, are you?" Tessa asked.

"No." Rigel shook his head, "I've already left school."

"You don't look old enough to have left school." Tessa raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that will come in handy when I'm fifty looking forty-five." Rigel couldn't help but smirk as the girl laughed. "I take it you're still a student."

"Sixth year Slytherin." Tessa nodded. "What house were you in?"

"Slytherin." Rigel replied automatically, he had always dreamed of spending his days walking the halls of Hogwarts, his evenings within the Slytherin dungeons.

"So you left last year?" Tessa asked.

"You ask a lot of questions."

"I'm a curious person." Tessa shrugged.

"You can say that again." Rigel said.

Tessa rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her drink as she considered the young wizard over her glass. "You're curious enough yourself."

"How so?" Rigel raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well," Tessa sighed as she sat back in her chair, "strange young man walks into a bar—that in itself sounds like an awful set up for a joke—" Tessa smiled as the boy laughed slightly, "almost runs over a little Gryffindor kid then sits all alone at the bar with not a single friend in sight."

"I'm waiting for my father." Rigel said, "He's off shopping, I'm to meet him here when he's done."

"Ah, didn't fancy being dragged around Hogsmeade?" Tessa asked, the boy shaking his head in reply, "That's fair."

"Very." Rigel said. The pair sat in awkward silence for a few moments, the boy not quite knowing what to say as the girls gaze bore into him. He was starting to wonder if he should make excuses to leave and find Rodolphus elsewhere when the girl spoke again.

"Loosen up, Rupert." Tessa rolled her eyes. "Tell me about yourself."

"I—How about you tell me about yourself?" Rigel suggested, eager to stop himself having to come up with more made up back story.

"Okay." Tessa shrugged, "I'm sixth year Slytherin like I already said, pureblood—not that that matters nowadays I suppose. Dad works at the ministry, Mum doesn't work, no siblings, that's pretty much it. What about you?"

"That can't be it." Rigel said.

"That's hardly it." A girl interrupted the pair, rolling her eyes in amusement as she leant on her friend's chair. "Tessa, what poor soul have you pulled in to entertain you this time?"

"How do you know I pulled him in? I could be the 'poor soul' in this situation." Tessa mocked offence at the girl's remark.

"Oh?" the girl raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy.

"It's true." Rigel shrugged, "I am terrible company, she is a poor soul to want to talk to me."

"You clearly don't know Tessa that well." The girl sighed before pulling up a chair and sitting next to her friend.

The trio stayed in the quiet corner of The Three Broomsticks talking between themselves. Rigel trying his hardest to talk to least in order to keep his limited cover, though he couldn't help but be intrigued by Tessa, finding himself laughing along with her as she made jokes at her friend's expense. The boy had lost track of time when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder, looking up to see the face that Rodolphus Lestrange had transformed into that morning looking less than impressed as he looked down at him.

"Oh, is this your father, Rupert?" Tessa asked, finishing off what was now her second Butterbeer.

Rigel didn't miss the slight raise in his Uncle's eyebrow, smiling awkwardly at him as he tried not to think what was going through the man's mind. "Uh, yes. Yes, it is."

"Sorry Mr Lister, have we kept Rupert from you?" Tessa spoke surprisingly politely, standing up and smiling at the man, "It was entirely my fault."

"That is fine." Rodolphus said eventually, though he did not release his grip from his nephew's shoulder. "Though Rupert and I best be leaving now, his mother worries."

"Of course." Tessa nodded, looking to Rigel as he stood from his chair. "It was nice to meet you, Rupert . . . Perhaps I'll see you on the next Hogsmeade weekend—this time next month."

"Uh—Yeah." Rigel said awkwardly, he had to admit he did like the idea of seeing the girl again.

"We will see." Rodolphus nodded to the girls, "Ladies."

"Bye!" Rigel called, letting his Uncle pull lead him from the pub and back on to the streets of Hogsmeade. They didn't speak a word to each other as they reached their apparation point, Rodolphus gripping tightly onto Rigel's arm as they disapparated.

It was as they were walking to the manor that Rigel finally found his voice again. "Don't tell Mum . . . or Dad . . . Please?"

Rodolphus glanced at the boy for a moment though he did not slow down, reaching the wards of the manor. "You are a young man now, no longer a boy. I expect you to know how to act in public in order to stop yourself being found out for who you truly are. You also know the consequences of what happens if you are found."

Rigel felt like he had been punched in the gut. He didn't think, if he was honest, he had to start with but then . . . he had simply relished in being a young man out talking to a beautiful girl in a pub. Was that so wrong? He sighed, nodding. "I know."

"Good." Rodolphus spoke curtly as they reached the doors to the manor, "I leave you to face your own consequences with such matters . . . But I will not talk to your parents. Rabastan becomes infuriating when he's worried about you children and that's not even mentioning Nymphadora's worrying. You can look after yourself."

"Thanks . . ." Rigel muttered though the man had already sped ahead of him to unload the day's supplies. He sighed, rolling his eyes as he walked up the stairs to his room, morphing himself back to his usual appearance on the way. It was only as he passed Delphini's room that he was snapped out of his thoughts, cursing under his breath as he almost tripped over Marvolo slithering to the girl's room. He frowned as he heard the girl suddenly hissing at the thing. With a roll of his eyes he decided a distraction was in order, he turned and pushed the already open door and let himself in.

"Rigel." Delphi groaned, looking up from the snake in front of her, "What are you doing in here?"

Rigel frowned, looking at the mess of the girl's room. Newspapers were strewn everywhere, along with old books and various pieces of parchment full of streams of writing. "What are you doing?"

"I asked you first." Delphi rolled her eyes, "Don't touch that!"

Rigel ignored the girl, skimming the piece of parchment in his hand "How many times have you written out this prophecy?"

"How many times have you been a nosey git?" Delphi retorted, snatching the paper out of the boy's grasp. She glared at the boy for a moment, the two locking eyes until eventually, she sighed, "I think I have this prophecy cracked, I know what to do and I can't do it here."

"What do you mean?" Rigel asked, frowning.

"I mean, I'm preparing to leave." Delphi said haughtily.

"Now?!" Rigel couldn't help but yell in shock.

". . . Soon." Delphi said. "Very soon. . ."

Rigel didn't know what to say, he knew this day was coming and had been for a long time now. Though as he stood in Delphini Riddle's room, determination and certainty burning in the girl's eyes, he couldn't help but realise that his life as he knew it was potentially about to drastically change.


	27. Going Away

**Well, here we are. About time, right?** **Dora**

Nymphadora Lestrange looked across the room at the silver-haired young woman that stood before them all. "Tomorrow, Delphi?"

"Yes," the witch repeated, rolling her eyes at her sister. "It's time for me to leave."

"All right..." Dora murmured, feeling her husband walk up beside her and wrap his arm around her. She didn't know what else to say, having known that Delphi had been planning to leave for months, in fact perhaps more than a year.

"Well, we'll miss you," the youngest of them spoke up from beside Andromeda. "At least, some of us will."

Delphini Riddle looked at her now eight-year-old niece and smirked. "Oh, I know. You'll all be glad I'm out of your hair until the Prophecy returns you to us."

No one else said a word, Andromeda seeming preoccupied with a thread on the skirt of her dress until Delphi had left the room. "What will happen to us if time gets messed up?" Bella asked, looking at her parents when they turned back to the others. "Will Rigel and I still exist if everything goes wrong?"

"Time turners have boundaries," Rodolphus answered. "She can't go that far back in time. And you'd still exist, though you may have a different name, or a different father."

"Ew," Bella said, pretending to be sick as Rigel laughed at her. "I don't think I'd like that."

"Probably not," Rodolphus shrugged. "I mean, the pickings were pretty slim at the time your mother and father married."

"I thought they were pretty good," Rabastan smirked, pulling Dora into his side and kissing her cheek.

Rodolphus shook his head at the small family and left the room.

Rodolphus drew a deep breath before he lifted his hand to knock on Delphi's door. He was slightly unnerved a the door opened before he even touched it, Delphi calling for him to enter. He entered the room only to find her standing with her arms crossed, facing him. "You can't tell me to leave and come back telling me to stay," she hissed, her black hair falling over her shoulders in perfect black waves as she scowled at him.

"No..." Rodolphus murmured, slipping his right hand into his pocket and clenching his fist. "I don't want what happened last night to be the last thing you remember from me..."

Delphi smirked. "Did something happen?" she questioned him. "I don't seem to remember anything important."

Rodolphus looked into her devilish, sparkling eyes and couldn't help but remember what had taken place when she'd gone to see him the night before...

 _He had just come in from the grounds from a walk around the perimeter when he felt Delphi's magic against the ward on his room. He allowed her in, his back to her as he rebuttoned his shirt and glanced back at the young witch. "I was going for a bath," he told her, finally turning to her. "What do you need?"_

 _Rodolphus was surprised to see that instead of her normal silver and blue locks, she had long black curls, just like her mother had always had. "I'm bored," Delphi pouted, and Rodolphus smirked at the girl's words and pout, a strong reminder of his Bellatrix. "Let's duel. You can have a bath after."_

 _"Delphi, I'm not up to a full duel...I just walked over most of the grounds," Rodolphus sighed. "Perhaps later tonight."_

 _"But I'm bored_ now _," Delphi insisted, approaching the man and looking straight into his eyes._

 _"Delphi," he sighed, suddenly silenced as she reached out and placed her hand on his arm. He jumped back from her when she let her magic crackle against his skin. "Stop that!"_

 _"Play with me," she smirked, drawing her wand and facing him._

 _He growled in annoyance. "Not here."_

 _She let out a cackle of laughter and threw a curse at him. "Here,_ Rodolphus

 _His wand was in his hand within seconds as he yelled at her, annoyed, and tried to curse her. It was over almost before it was begun, Rodolphus too distracted by her unusual appearance and too tired out from his earlier jaunt around the grounds. Delphi cursed him against the wall, huffing in disappointment as he merely leaned back against the wall and gritted his teeth in pain. "That wasn't very long," she protested, walking toward him accusingly._

 _"I told you," he growled, looking up at her through his mussed-up hair, "I wasn't up to a full duel. Will you leave me alone now, B_ — _Delphi?" He corrected himself quickly, further unnerved at himself._

 _"What kind of a student would I be if I left you here like this?" Delphi scoffed, reaching out toward Rodolphus, though he stepped away, still leaning against the wall._

 _"Just like your mother," Rodolphus retorted._

 _"Merlin damn it, Rodolphus," she snapped. "Let me heal you!"_

 _He let her grasp his shoulder as she ran the tip of her wand down his back, then down his side as she whispered in Parseltongue. He watched her smile slightly as she spoke, the curse lifting from him at her command. Rodolphus drew a painless breath and sighed softly as Delphi put her wand away and looked into his eyes, gently placing her other hand on his arm. "Better?" she questioned, and before he answered, she leaned forward and kissed him, her right hand reaching up to tangle her fingers in his greyish brown hair._

 _As shock rushed through his body, forgotten feelings exploding into life in him, Delphi nestled herself against him, kissing him more firmly as she felt him respond. He reached out and grasped her hip with his right hand, his other arm wrapping around her back._

 _Rodolphus' mind was whirling as he held the young witch to himself, lost in her kiss. She brought back so many memories of times he'd had with Bella...very special times. He could feel the girl's hand on his chest and groaned softly, biting her lip as he let his hands wander down her body._

 _"Rodolphus," the young witch groaned, and his mouth went dry._

 _He broke off their kisses and shoved her away, sickened at what had just happened. "Stay away from me," he said hoarsely, staring at her with wild eyes. "You_ — _you're not mine. I won't do that to you_ — _go away, Delphini_

 _"I am whose I choose," Delphi retorted, her dark eyes boring into his._

 _"And I say no," Rodolphus shuddered, refusing to look at her. "I won't play your games. I'm loyal to you, but I won't be your toy, like my wife was your father's."_

 _"It's not a game!" Delphi snapped at him. "I'm just curious!"_

 _"I'm not the right person to satisfy that sort of curiosity!" Rodolphus yelled at her, drawing himself to his full height. "I would lose myself_ — _I would hurt you! You_ — _you're like a daughter to me! Who does something like that to their daughter?"_

 _"Nymphie's father?" Delphini smirked._

 _Rodolphus opened his mouth to reply, then pointed to the door. "Get out," he growled at her, his wand in his hand. "And you should leave the manor as soon as possible. You've obviously been locked up for too long."_

 _Delphini huffed at him, striding to the door in the most infuriating way possible to Rodolphus. "Fine," she said simply, turning to look at him from the doorway. "I'll leave. But you'll miss me, and wish you'd kept me here."_

 _The moment the door shut behind her, Rodolphus sank to his knees on the floor, his hands over his face in shock. It was too much._

"I won't ask you to stay because you are a temptation to me, Delphi," Rodolphus murmured, unable to look at her. "Out of respect to you—and your parents, for that matter—I can't be what you ask. As I said, you're like a daughter to me—the only reason I reacted the way I did was that I'd been thinking about Bella..." The man brushed a hand across his face, taking a deep breath as he shook his head slightly. "I don't have those feelings toward you."

"I understand," Delphi nodded formally. "I apologise for my forwardness—I simply thought you would want to—but obviously I was wrong. That will not happen again—and I am leaving, as I said to the others."

"I didn't want you to leave this way," Rodolphus sighed, chancing a glance at the witch. "Though the others don't have to know about this, right?"

"Never," Delphi shook her head. "Just between you and me. And it's not that bad: you said no and I left. A question and an answer, Rod."

Rodolphus nodded in relief, and she stepped forward tentatively, letting him hug her to his chest. "Going to miss me?" she whispered, returning his embrace.

The man squeezed her more tightly. "Yeah," he mumbled.

She held back a shiver as she felt his breath on her neck, and she gasped in shock when she felt his teeth just nip the soft skin of her neck. She was shocked at this—though she immediately had to tell Marvolo that it was fine. He did it a second time, then hugged her again.

"I don't believe you," she breathed. "You do—"

He stepped back and placed a finger over her lips. "I don't know what you mean," he smirked, then stepped back and asked, "Going to miss me?"

Delphi reached for him, but he stepped back again. "Goodbye, Delphini," he told her formally.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, then sighed, "Goodbye, Rodolphus."

He left her room, going straight to his room to deal with his questions and emotions. All Delphi had been doing recently was to play with his emotions and feelings and he couldn't take much more of that before something would happen. It was a good thing she was leaving soon.

Nymphadora held back tears as she hugged her sister goodbye in spite of Delphi's protests. "I'll miss you," she sniffed, drawing back and dashing away her tears. "Please be careful...and good luck."

"When am I not careful?" the young woman smirked at her sister. "I'll be fine, Nymphadora."

"That's what I'm worried about," Dora sniffed, swatting away more tears as Rabastan slipped his arm around her.

"I can't believe you're leaving!"

Delphi was pounced on by her niece, who hugged her tightly, making her step backward to keep her balance. "Belle!" she hissed, hugging the girl though at the same time she firmly disentangled herself.

"You've been here my whole life and I don't want you to go," Bella sighed. "But I know you have to. Take care of yourself, okay? And come and see us if you can."

"I think your father will insist the wards be changed as soon as I am gone," Delphi said, looking at her sister's husband in derision though his expression did not change. "But we will meet again, one way or another."

"Good," Bella nodded.

Delphi huffed in annoyance, accepting a hug from Andromeda. "If everyone else gets one, you might as well," she muttered to the witch. "Thanks for teaching me as much as you could. Rodolphus says I'm a difficult witch to handle, but I don't know."

Andromeda laughed softly. "I don't think that surprised any of us. I'm sure you'll do well, Delphi. I am proud of you."

"Thanks," Delphi smiled slightly, then turned to her nephew. "Rigel...be a good boy." She giggled. "Don't shame the house of your fathers, and all that. Oh—and get a girlfriend." She turned on her heel and walked out the door, her charmed bag with her.

Rigel shook his head, everyone watching her walk away through the windows nearby. Nymphadora teared up afresh as Delphi disappeared from view, Rodolphus already having left the scene.

Having watched everything in complete silence, Rodolphus now sat alone on a bench in the grounds, staring out toward the stream. He missed Delphini's presence at the manor, more than he ever thought he'd miss his wife's little girl. He could remember the first time he'd met the baby, when Bella had been afraid of what he'd do, but the child had just endeared herself to him. It wasn't her fault.

The man drew a deep breath. He had done the right thing: he had left baby Delphi alone, protected Rabastan and Dora so they could raise the children, and returned to make sure they raised Delphi right. Rodolphus shook his head at the thought.

Dora may have been Bellatrix's daughter, but she did not understand her half-sister and could not raise her correctly. Even he had trouble sometimes, but he had a better grasp of how to deal with Delphi.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he did not hear his niece approach until she called softly, "Uncle Rod?"

He started in surprise, having to stop himself from grabbing his wand. There was no threat: Bella wouldn't jump out and Curse him as Delphini had found so amusing. The thought saddened him, and he had to hold back a laugh at himself.

"Uncle Rod..." the little girl said again. "It's cold out here...why don't you come inside and keep warm?"

"I'm fine," the man muttered, turning away from her even though he was a bit chilly. "Aren't you supposed to be inside with your parents?"

"I don't think so," Bella said doubtfully, walking closer to him. "May I sit down?"

"Make yourself at home," Rodolphus muttered.

Bella sat down next to him, speaking after a few moments had passed. "Delphi told me you'd sit around and mope."

Rodolphus turned to stare at her, his attention fully captured. "Did she tell you what to do about it?" he asked.

"She told me to keep you from thinking too much," Bella rolled her eyes as she said it. "But I can't be her."

"Well, she was no replacement for Bellatrix," Rodolphus frowned. "You're no worse."

"Um, thanks," the girl sighed. "Will you go back into the house with me now?"

Rodolphus looked away from her. "It's peaceful out here."

Bella huffed in annoyance. "Yet Delphi never left you alone, and you were happy with that," she sputtered. "And you were barely ever outside, Uncle."

He scowled. "You talk too much."

"No more than Mum," the girl smirked. "Come on: let's go inside." She got to her feet, and Rodolphus looked up at her, shaking his head thoughtfully before he got up and followed her toward the house. "I guess you'll really miss her?"

"Slightly," Rodolphus mused. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Do you think she'll be able to bring back her father?" Bella asked him.

Rodolphus chilled slightly, though he merely said, "We will have to see. She will do her very best."

Bella nodded, tucking her hand into his as they walked into the house. He didn't say anything more about Delphi as his niece led him to the library and distracted him by asking him questions about spells Andromeda had been teaching her. He would be ready if the Dark Lord did indeed return: he was faithful.

Rigel Lestrange shook his head at his little sister. "You can't go," he said firmly. "Mother, Father, and the rest would be furious if I took you."

"It isn't fair!" Bella cried. "I don't want to be trapped here anymore!"

"Bella," Rigel sighed, "I do know how you feel, but I can't help. Leave me alone or I'll have to tell Mum."

"Fine," the girl snapped, and stormed away from him.

The young man sighed, turning and walking into the grounds to leave. He wanted to have a look around and see what he could find. His mother and Rodolphus had given him some ideas of where to find some young people his own age.

He stepped across the ward boundaries, walked for a bit, then disapparated. Rigel quickly moved from the spot, walking toward the closest shop and disappearing inside. He looked around for a few moments, making sure he wasn't being followed or watched by anyone.

Rigel soon walked from the shop and went down the street to another store, deciding he would browse there for a moment. He became rather lost in thought as he looked around, suddenly surprised as someone addressed him.

"Hello there."

"What do you want?" Rigel asked, looking up and immediately cursing himself. Before him stood a young witch his own age, the girl seeming taken aback at his response. "I'm sorry," he said, straightening up. "I was deep in thought and you startled me. What can I do for you?"

The witch blushed slightly. "Well, you'd been looking around for a little while, and I was wondering if you needed help," she admitted.

Rigel couldn't help but grin. "Maybe I do," he said. "I'm looking for a little something for my sister since she wasn't allowed to come with me."

"I see," the girl said. "I'm Lyra; what's your name?"

"Robert," he answered, immediately wondering if that was the name he had told the other girl he'd met. Holding back a laugh, he said, "Pleasure to meet you, Lyra," and shook her hand. "So. Do you have any idea what an eight-year-old girl would like?"

"Oh, she's quite young then," Lyra said in surprise.

"Yeah," Rigel nodded. "Bella's sort of Mum and Dad's way of saying they're not old yet."

Lyra gave him a strange look, and he mentally kicked himself for saying his sister's real name. "Named after Bellatrix Lestrange? I know it's common to name your children after war heroes, but..."

Rigel frowned. "Whatever she may have done, she was powerful, brave, and loyal, and for that alone, she was to be commended," he said. "I suppose we wanted to remember that she wasn't all bad."

Lyra nodded thoughtfully. "Are your family Hufflepuffs?"

A burst of laughter came from him, and once he had contained his amusement, he replied, "No, the very opposite. We're all Slytherins."

"Oh." She blushed deeply, Rigel grinning at her amusedly. "Sorry," she muttered.

"Oh, it's fine," he chuckled. "I'm sure Slytherins can't exist together without some love and understanding even if they aren't the primary traits."

"About this gift for your sister," Lyra said firmly, her ears still pink, "I think I have a good idea of where to find something. I hope you have sort of an open mind, considering your parents idolize Madame Lestrange."

Rigel smirked at her. "Try me."

She led him from the shop quickly, taking him down the street toward the apparition point. "The shop isn't here," she told him. "Want me to Side-Along you?"

"I..." Rigel looked slightly uncomfortable, wondering if it was safe to apparate with someone he didn't know. "Where are we going?"

"Hogsmeade," Lyra replied with a small grin. "You can go by yourself if you want."

"I haven't been there," Rigel murmured ruefully.

"You're full of surprises," she told him. "Come on, then." She held out her hand and he took it, immediately being pulled into the apparition with her.

He was breathless when they arrived, the girl letting go of him once she'd made sure he wasn't going to fall over. "It's only a little bit of a walk," she said, leading the way. "And oh, I guess it's a Hogsmeade holiday today."

Rigel glanced to the side, remembering his mum mentioning such things once in a while. To his surprise, he saw Hogwarts students walking by in their respective House robes and smirked to see two Slytherin girls staring at him, whispering to each other. He turned away from them, walking beside Lyra, though they had only gone a few steps when someone approached them.

"Lyra!"

Rigel's companion turned and grinned at the two approaching girls, accepting their embrace. "Where have you been?" the blonde one teased. "You disappeared!"

"I went to meet Mum," Lyra answered the girls, stepping back from them formally. "And on my way back, I ran into Robert here, who needs help picking out a gift for his little sister. I told him I'd help."

"We will too," the dark-haired girl chimed, but Lyra shook her head at them.

"No," she told her. "I'll meet you two at the Three Broomsticks when I'm done, okay?"

They sighed and left her after receiving a promise that Lyra would be there. Rigel looked at Lyra carefully. "You're still in school?" he asked.

"I'm a seventh year," Lyra nodded. "I just turned eighteen. Those two girls are my best friends."

"Hufflepuffs?" Rigel questioned, raising an eyebrow.

The girl smirked. "I am a Hufflepuff myself," she said haughtily before grinning at him. "I had a chance to be a Ravenclaw, but I decided against it. I can just be a smart Hufflepuff."

Rigel laughed, then almost stopped in surprise when they rounded the corner and came upon the shop, Lyra looking at him to see what he thought. "I...thought Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was in Diagon Alley," he said after a few seconds.

"They opened a second branch over here where Zonko's used to be," Lyra explained. "The Weasleys bought them out last year. I hope you don't mind a little ginger because this place is incredible."

"I'll be fine," Rigel scoffed, and the two walked into the building. He was awed by the amount of colour and motion in the modest-sized shop, staring around at it all in amazement. "Wow."

Lyra beckoned him to follow her. "I'll show you the most interesting things," she said, leading him down one of the aisles.

Rigel was amused to see Puking Pasties, Fever Fudge, and Sizzling Serpents. He reached for something, but Lyra grabbed his hand and warned, "That's an Acid Pop and it will burn your tongue out."

"How many of these things have you tried?" Rigel questioned, motioning around himself to all the products.

"Some," she mused. "I've seen more used than I've actually tried myself. Most Weasley products are now banned from Hogwarts classrooms to keep students from feigning illness."

"Oh," Rigel said in amusement, and she gave him a calculating look.

"How old are you?" she asked him. "Because you should know at least some of these things, and you can't be that much older than I am."

Rigel looked at her cautiously, then sighed. "I was homeschooled," he murmured. "I'm twenty-one, nearly twenty-two, and I haven't seen most things that even you have."

Lyra's mouth opened slightly as she stared at him in wonder. "Homeschooled...by your parents?"

"Yeah," Rigel said, his tone more gruff as he didn't want to talk about it. "My family is very close."

"Same," Lyra nodded. "It's just me, Mum, and Dad."

"What about these?" Rigel asked, pointing to bright yellow packages with birds on them.

"Canary Creams are definitely safer than Acid Pops," the young witch mused. "Though when molting back to the human state, you will leave feathers everywhere. I've heard they're common at Gryffindor parties."

Rigel grinned. "I'm sure that's amusing," he said as he chose a package. "Shall we get something else as well?"

She followed him this time, both of them grinning happily. After a little while, someone entered the shop and Rigel stared for a moment before casually ducking out of sight. "Isn't that the Minister?" he asked Lyra.

"Oh, yes," Lyra agreed, glancing up from some strange looking vials. "Hermione Granger-Weasley. She's a friend of my mother."

"Who is your mother?" Rigel asked curiously while checking the aisle again.

"Luna Lovegood Scamander," the girl answered simply. "Shall we go? You don't seem comfortable."

"I do need to be getting home," Rigel murmured, slipping down the aisle to the other side and slipping up to the counter. He made his purchases quickly, glad the witch at the till was not someone he recognised.

Lyra joined him outside, walking back with him toward the edge of the town. "I assume your family was more...on the other side of the war?" she said quietly.

Rigel frowned. "You are correct," he replied evenly. "Though you would do well not to judge based on family history."

"I didn't mean anything against you or your family," she said, placing her hand on her hip and turning to frown at him when they stopped at the apparition point.

"Nor I against yours," Rigel told the girl. "I'd like to see you again, if I may."

She stared at him, surprised yet again, though he took her hand in his before she could say anything. Pressing her hand to his lips, he murmured, "It has been a pleasure, Ms Scamander." He stepped back and disapparated in the next second, leaving her to stand there in Hogsmeade alone.

Bella giggled as Rigel explained her gift to her. "They're so you can listen under doors and things," he told her. "But there's one rule."

"What's that?" Bellatrix grinned up at her brother.

"Whatever you hear is your responsibility," he warned her. "Mother and Father can't know about these."

"Of course," she nodded, her eyes alive with mischief.

"Also," Rigel said, and she looked back to him warily. "I dare you to slip Aunt Andromeda one of those Canary Creams."

The eight year old smirked, slipping the package into her pocket before leaving the room, and Rigel smiled to himself, shaking his head. He was glad Lyra had helped him select the gifts for his sister, because he was almost certain they would provide amusement to most of the family.


	28. The Daily Prophet

**Please read, enjoy this latest update and please do drop a review if you have a moment!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora nestled into her husband's arms, letting the man stroke her hair as she absentmindedly drew circles on his chest.

"What are you thinking?" Rabastan murmured.

"Nothing . . ." Dora sighed, letting herself let out a huff of laughter as Rabastan went to move, looking up at him before he could move her chin to raise her gaze to his own, she knew him too well. "You're going grey."

"I think I began going grey many years ago," Rab smirked, "though thank you, as always, for pointing that out to me."

"You're welcome," Dora smirked, kissing him briefly.

"I'm sure you'd be grey if you didn't keep morphing your hair," Rabastan shrugged, though laughed as his wife hit his chest.

"I am not old," Dora pouted.

"You're fourty-ei—"

"Shh," Dora shook her head, "no need to say it out loud."

"Fine," Rabastan rolled his eyes in amusement, "care to tell me what's on your mind instead then?"

"Nothing," Dora shrugged, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Fine, we can talk about other things, how although you may tease that I am old you are my wife and we have a ten and twenty-three—"

"Alright, alright," Dora groaned, "you are a bad man."

"And I never get tired of you telling me that," Rabastan said, settling his hand on the small of Dora's back, "but tell me what is on your mind."

"I—," Dora sighed, "it's September 2nd."

"And . . . ?"

"And it just . . . I can't help but think about Hogwarts this time of year," Dora sighed, rolling onto her back and staring up at the ceiling, "how Rigel should have gone . . . how Bella should be going next year . . . it's not fair."

"It keeps them safe," Rabastan said, "besides, you and Andromeda can teach Bella well enough, you did a good job with Rigel, that boy is too smart for his own good I swear."

"It's the experience though, isn't it?" Dora said, "Away from home, you can make friends, get into duels with people your own age, join the Quidditch team . . . Even the first day is exciting . . . or terrifying," Dora turned on her side, resting her head on her hand as she propped herself up to look down at her husband, "I mean, can't you remember the excitement of your first day? Or was it too long ago to remember?"

"Cheek," Rabastan rolled his eyes in amusement, though sighed and frowned in thought as he remembered, "My first day, Rodolphus dropped me off at the station. Mother was sick, and father was busy, so they couldn't take me and I think Rodolphus had gotten into a fight with your Mother so was glad of the excuse to get away from her. I sat on the train with Regulus and Barty . . . It was pretty standard I assume. Some mudblood's tried to talk to us but we quickly put them off . . . What about you?"

Dora sighed, sitting up and getting out of bed, "I offended Bill Weasley on the train to school, got called a mudblood then a half-blood by some bitchy little first years, got told by the sorting hat I was born of scandal—which makes a hell of a lot more sense now than it did back then—then wrote a letter to Andromeda whilst hiding away in bed upset because everyone hated me."

"Ah," Rabastan said as he got up as well, "seems like an experience our children are thoroughly missing out on,"

"I was a special case," Dora rolled her eyes, walking over to her wardrobe to find an outfit to wear, "it wasn't my fault."

"No," Rabastan agreed, though decided not to mention that their own children would probably have far worse problems at school than she did, being the descendants of murderous Death Eaters and all. Instead he let his wife live in her little fantasy of what wonderful times they would have had, surely it was better than the inner battle he had constantly damning himself for giving their children a life of secrecy and hatred for merely carrying his name.

* * *

Nymphadora sat herself down at the dining room table, followed closely by her husband as he slipped into a seat beside her. She frowned as she looked around the room, everyone was gathered already yet the breakfast was not on the table. A strange silence had fallen as they had entered the room though she had only just really registered it as she looked to the faces of the other three adults in the room.

"You know, you don't have to wait for us to summon the elf to serve breakfast," Dora said.

"That's what I said," Bella huffed, "but they were too distracted to care."

Dora clicked her fingers, instructing the elf to bring the breakfast though she looked to Andromeda with a frown of confusion even as little Bella groaned "Finally," and tucked into her eggs.

"What distracted you?" Rabastan asked, sharing a glance with his wife.

Andromeda sighed, pushing the mornings copy of the Daily Prophet to Rabastan, "This."

"Dad—" Rigel began, though his Uncle raised his hand to gesture the boy to let the man read.

"Page three," Rodolphus murmured.

Rabastan nodded slightly and opened the paper, pushing his breakfast to the side and scanning the article. His eyebrows raised slightly in surprise for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"What?" Dora asked, a slight hint of panic in her voice now, "What is it? It's not Delphi is it?"

"Maybe . . ." Rodolphus said.

"What do you mean maybe?" Dora asked, ignoring the strange look her daughter gave her at the annoyance in her voice. Rabastan finished reading the paper and shook his head.

"Probably," he sighed.

"It's idiotic," Andromeda said matter of factly, "she'll get herself into trouble sooner rather than later if she goes on like that."

"We don't _know_ it's her," Rigel protested.

"Well—"

"Oh for merlin's sake!" Nymphadora hissed, drawing her wand and summoning the paper from her husband, "Let me see it," she shook her head as she flattened the paper, choosing to ignore her daughter's startled gaze, she had never raised her voice in front of Bella to her memory. She scanned the page quickly, then read it multiple times over to make sure she had read it right. Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter had gone missing from the Hogwarts express on their way to their fourth year at school. She stared at the picture of the two boys, both grinning up at the camera in their Slytherin uniforms as they sat in the grounds of Hogwarts the previous year. "Why would she do that . . ." Dora barely whispered.

"It's Potter's kid, isn't it?" Rigel asked "And Draco's. He's your cousin, right?"

"Right . . ."

"She has no reason to do such a thing," Rodolphus said, his voice sounding rather defensive of the young witch.

"I don't know," Andromeda shook her head, "there hasn't been any disappearances of children like that since . . ."

"Maybe they ran away," Rodolphus glared, "maybe Potter and Draco aren't cut out to be parents and their brats had had enough of them. Besides, the Potter child, Slytherin surrounded by Gryffindors? I can see why he'd want to escape the Weasley clan."

"What if it is though?" Rabastan asked, "Why would she do such a thing?"

"Maybe she's given up," Rigel shrugged, "maybe she failed with the time turner now she's seeking revenge on—"

"She has not _given up_!" Rodolphus hissed, glaring furiously at the young man, causing his sister beside him to sink into her chair slightly.

"Do not yell at my son, Rodolphus," Rabastan growled, "it's a fair point."

"It is not!" Rodolphus snapped, "Delphini Riddle is not about to give up on her life long mission and dream to restore her parents to their former glory. She knows what she's doing, she'll be well on task by now."

A silence hung in the room again. It was clear that Rodolphus, perhaps more than anyone else within the manor, wanted more than anything for Delphini to succeed in her cause to 'put the world to rights'. Though it was unclear as to if this did have anything to do with Delphi there had been no news of the girl since she had left them so long ago now and this was not the first time something in the prophet had caused for a heated discussion such as this. Though usually it did not get so intense, the last time for example had been a simple debate over a small article about an attempted burglary at the ministry in the records of magical persons department.

"Potter . . ." to everyone's surprise, it was Andromeda that murmured this name, causing each of the others to stare at her in confusion.

"What about him?" Dora asked, confused though curious.

"The prophecy . . ." Andromeda said, looking to Nymphadora, " _When spares are spared, when time is turned, when unseen children—"_

 _"murder their fathers,"_ Nymphadora continued, suddenly understanding what the woman was trying to say _, "will The Dark Lord return."_

"What?" Rabastan asked, "What does the prophecy have to do with two boys going missing?"

"Because it isn't just any two boys," Andromeda said, looking to the man as if she was trying to explain the most simple thing in the world, "one of those children is Harry Potter's child."

"And?" Rabastan asked.

"And a child needs to murder their father," Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly.

"Delphi's going to make someone kill someone?" Bella asked, sounding concerned and even a little frightened.

"Rigel take your sister elsewhere," Rabastan turned to his son.

"But Father—"

"Now," Rabastan said more firmly this time.

The young man grumbled under his breath, going on about not being trusted and being a glorified babysitter, "Come on, Bella,"

"But my breakfast!" Bella moaned.

"Here," Rigel rolled his eyes, picking up the plate and pointing to the door, he watched as she stomped off out of the room, then glanced back at his mother "You'll tell me everything later?"

Dora hesitated for a moment, she didn't like getting Rigel too involved in such matters and part of her found it hard to believe that he was truly a man now and not a child to be hidden away from the nastiness of their past such as Bella was. Though reluctantly she nodded, waiting for the two children to leave the room before she placed a ward on the room to stop them trying to listen in on their conversation for now.

"Explain your theory then, Andromeda," Rabastan demanded, ignoring the woman's disapproving tone of having such a voice used on her before she carried on.

"Well, we've had certain things figured out of the prophecy for a while now," Andromeda said.

"Like Diggory being the spare," Rodolphus interjected.

"Yes," Andromeda rolled her eyes, she did not enjoy being interrupted by anybody, "but the _'when unseen children murder their fathers'_ that could never have been about Delphi, because she wouldn't murder her father and—well, he's already dead. But Harry Potter . . . if he had died long ago, before the Battle of Hogwarts, perhaps The Dark Lord would never have died. Perhaps she needs the Potter child, to go back in time with her—or _for_ her—because the prophecy never directly related to or mentioned Delphini when you think about it carefully, the only thing that ever had anything to do with her was that her father is The Dark Lord. Though perhaps she's merely the starting tool in all of this, the thing that starts the events to get the spare spared and her father risen again."

". . . Shit," Dora breathed, "that makes sense."

"So . . ." Rabastan paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, not looking at any of them as he continued, "you think Delphi is with the Potter boy? Enacting the prophecy right as we speak?"

"Maybe," Andromeda sighed.

"What about Draco's son?" Dora asked, "What's he got to do with this?"

"Maybe Scorpius will kill his father too," Rodolphus scoffed.

"I hope not," Dora sighed, "Aunt Cissa never deserved that."

"Or maybe he's just a coincidence in all of this," Andromeda rolled her eyes, "is it not easier to convince a child to follow your plans if you have their friend beside them, convincing them too and having an extra sense of false security for the Potter boy because they're together with a stranger?"

"Sometimes your ability to think like a Death Eater worries me," Dora mumbled, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice as Andromeda laughed slightly.

"You forget how I was raised, dear," Andromeda replied casually.

"So," Rabastan spoke again, though there was an undeniable hint of something in his tone, perhaps worry or even fear, "if this all goes well . . . The Dark Lord could return soon?"

"And Bellatrix," Rodolphus smirked, raising an eyebrow at his brother, "scared, brother?"

"Why would I be scared?" Rabastan snapped.

"You tell me," Rodolphus shrugged, "you don't exactly seem excited."

"I'm simply not getting my hopes up, _brother_." Rabastan snarled, "You put too much hopes in the talents of a lone child."

"She is not a _child_ ," Rodolphus growled, "she is a grown woman and heir to The Dark Lord, _our master_ , lest you forget."

"What are you insinuating?" Rabastan asked, standing up to glare down at his brother as his wife sighed and rested her head on her hand, clearly having enough of the men fighting already.

"Nothing," Rodolphus said sarcastically as he raised from his seat to meet his brother's glare, looking down at the slightly shorter man, "unless there's something you're not sharing with us."

Rabastan continued to glare furiously at the man, gritting his teeth as he tried to calm himself for a moment before without warning he let out a yell of annoyance and strode from the room slamming the door behind him.

"Rab . . ." Dora sighed, biting her lip for a moment before she ran after him.

"You did that on purpose," Andromeda shook her head, picking up her knife and fork as she began to eat her breakfast as though nothing had happened.

"What?" Rodolphus huffed, hesitating for a moment before he took a swig from his cup of coffee.

"You antagonised him," Andromeda said simply.

Rodolphus considered the witch for a moment before he shrugged, "He's a traitor."

"That's a bold statement to make," Andromeda raised an eyebrow.

"He doesn't care about the Dark Lord," Rodolphus said, bitterness in his tone, "he would be happy to hide away with his little perfect family in this hole for the rest of his life."

"I would hardly call the Black home a 'hole'," Andromeda said, "besides, can you blame him?"

"What?" Rodolphus stared at the woman.

"Well, say you were Rabastan," Andromeda said carefully, aware of the man's quick temper, "or even if Delphi had no desire to go off and go on with her plans to bring back her father—" she decidedly ignored Rod's scoff at the notion, "—imagine it was Dora that wanted to do it, to bring back her mother. Merely by stepping foot outside of this home we risk all of us getting caught. It puts everyone in danger if she shouldn't succeed, would you be happy for Delphi to be in that danger? Or . . . if you had your own children to protect?"

Rodolphus stiffened slightly, his grasp on his coffee mug tightening for a moment as he tried to remain composed, "He does not fear her failure, he fears her success. He hasn't exactly always treated Delphini in the kindest of ways, he practically hated the girl for years—probably still does—he tried to palm her off on anybody else but him when the Dark Lord fell and Delphini knows that. He will not sit in favour of the Dark Lord should that get back to him."

"You think Delphi would do that?" Andromeda asked, "She may not care for Rabastan but I feel she does care, even slightly, for her sister no matter how little she shows it. She knows Dora fought for her."

"It doesn't matter," Rodolphus said, surprising the woman as he abandoned his untouched food and raised from his chair once again, "she has to succeed first and I for one am entirely rooting for her. Unlike others."

Andromeda watched as the man left the room, shaking her head to herself as she sat back in her chair. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen, if Delphi should succeed. Would she still be with Nymphadora if time changed? Would she still be living alone in the Tonks home? Would she have had to go into hiding from the Dark rather than the Light? All she knew in that instance was that she knew better than Rabastan; she could not let her worries or fears show to the rest.

* * *

"Rab?" Dora called as she entered the study, forcing a slight smile as she saw her husband sat at the desk eating his breakfast. Ever since his argument with his brother the day before he had refused to be in the same room as him, taking all of his meals in here, it was a promise he had made to her that so far it seemed he had intended to keep.

"What?" Rabastan asked, looking to the paper in his wife's hands for a brief moment before he shook his head and sat back in his seat, "I'm not going to the dining room."

"I didn't ask you to," Dora said, walking over to her husband she pressed a kiss to his head, "though Bella keeps asking when you're going to 'stop stropping'."

"Cheek," Rabastan scoffed.

"Just like her mother," Dora winked before she slipped into her husband's lap, resting her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

"True," Rabastan let out a huff of amusement before his gaze returned to the paper in the woman's hands, "what's going on in the world today?"

Dora sat up and took a breath, flattening the paper out on her lap and finding the article she needed, she glanced at her husband for a moment before she began to read, " _The two Hogwarts students that managed a great escape from The Hogwarts Express on September 1st have been found, within the grounds of Hogwarts itself. Albus Severus Potter, Gryffindor child of the famous Harry and Ginny Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, Slytherin child of ex-Death Eater Draco Malfoy, were heard to have found to be safe and with no harm to them. The Daily Prophet has as of yet been unable to get an exact reasoning to their disappearance, though it seems this may have been a foolish childhood adventure. Perhaps young Potter is trying to find adventures such as his father? Both the Potters and Malfoy were approached for comment but each refused to speak to us_."

Rabastan let out a breath he did not know he was holding as he leant his head back on his chair, closing his eyes, "So they weren't kidnapped or any nonsense? No mention of your sister?"

"No mention of Delphi," Dora confirmed, putting the paper down on the desk before she turned to face her husband, "Rab . . ."

Rabastan hesitated for a moment, letting the sense of relief flood over him for a little longer before he opened his eyes to look at his wife, "Yes, Dora?"

"You don't need to be scared," Dora said quietly, "whatever Delphi does to bring back The Dark Lord—if she manages to bring back The Dark Lord . . . she won't bring down your name— _our_ name."

"How can you possibly know that, Dora?" Rabastan asked, though he did not meet his wife's eyes.

"Because she told me so," Dora said, flinching slightly as, as she predicted, Rabastan sat straight upright and stared straight at her in worried shock.

" _What_?"

"We talked before she left," Dora said simply, "she knows that you're worried—I didn't tell her! She's very perceptive . . . She's only worried about bringing back her father, she doesn't care about what's happened in her life up to this point."

"But you can't know that she won't say anything—even if she told you, Nymphadora," Rabastan spoke more firmly as Nymphadora went to interrupt him, "Besides, what if The Dark Lord questions us? Questions Rodolphus? Questions Andromeda or the children even? We won't lie, we can't lie, he will know that I tried to get rid of her, one way or another . . . whether it be the day he returns or at some point in the future, it will happen."

"And what if no-one knows what happened?" Dora asked, "If the time turner works right then I don't think any of us would remember this life . . . if The Dark Lord survived things would have been different . . . Rigel would have gone to Hogwarts for one, Bella—" Dora froze, clearly having thought of something that she had not before.

"Bella was conceived in the time after his downfall," Rabastan said darkly, clearly, he had thought of it, "it may have been that she wasn't conceived at all . . . or goes by a different name . . . or an entirely different personality than that of what we know her to have, she would have been raised differently."

"Shit . . ." Dora breathed.

Rabastan sighed, wrapping both arms around his wife and pulling her fully into his embrace as he leant back in his chair.

"Would we be the same?" Dora asked quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder and resting a hand on his chest, "Would—Would _anything_ be the same?"

"I don't know, Dora . . ." Rabastan muttered, "I'll always love you though, you know that. We were married before he fell,"

"B-But Diggory . . . he died before—"

"Don't think of it," Rabastan said, stroking the witch's hair as he closed his eyes again, "your mother will most likely have survived, we wouldn't be in hiding, we would be back to the inner circle helping rule the world most likely . . ."

"But . . ." Dora shook her head, closing her eyes and curling further into her husband, "it will be okay."

"I know Dora," Rabastan said, "we always survive."


	29. Hogwarts

Rodolphus Lestrange smirked at his nephew. "I mean, it is possible," he said with a shrug. "Hogwarts is a confusing place since you've never been there. But I think you'll manage. You can always say you don't know where the Hufflepuff Basement is because you haven't had reason to go there before."

Rigel nodded slightly. "I should have set up somewhere to meet her, but I wasn't thinking."

"Women make it difficult to think straight," Rodolphus cautioned the boy. "I don't have to tell you to be careful out there."

"I will," Rigel said as the door burst open and his sister fell into the room, giggling. "Belle, what are you doing?"

"I did it," Bella giggled. "I turned Andromeda into a canary, and she tried to hex me."

"You were supposed to do it for the amusement of all of us," Rigel told her, though he couldn't help laughing.

Bella shrugged, grinning at her brother. "It didn't happen the way I expected, but she _chased_ me down the hall. As a giant yellow bird."

Rodolphus glanced between his niece and nephew. "You aren't going to try that with me, are you?"

"No," Belle said, giggling again.

"I bought her some things when I was out last time," Rigel explained. "I dared her to slip one to Andromeda."

Rodolphus merely smirked, and Bella said, "Well, if you hear me yell, she got me." The girl turned and left the room just as quickly as she had entered it.

Rigel turned to look at his uncle, but Rodolphus held up a hand. "I don't need to know what you bought her. You don't answer to me." The man smirked slightly. "Though perhaps you children wouldn't cause your parents so much anxiety if you were accountable to me."

"We wouldn't talk to you," Rigel pointed out. "And we can hardly be trusted to counsel ourselves."

"Obviously," Rodolphus chuckled. "Why else would you be asking me how to sneak into Hogwarts to visit a girl you don't know?"

The boy's ears turned red, and Rodolphus added, "But don't let an old man discourage you-be it me or your father."

Rigel laughed and nodded, then got to his feet. "Thanks," he said, then left just as quickly as his sister.

* * *

It seemed easy enough. At least when Rodolphus had been telling him how to get there. The young man sighed to himself, knowing that he had brought all the difficulties on himself. He had chosen to arrive at Hogwarts earlier in the day so that he wouldn't be considered weird for going down to the Hufflepuff Common room at night.

The problem was that he had managed to get himself turned around and he had no idea where in the castle he was. He was concerned that if he tried to ask around about how to get places, it would seem suspicious or make him look like an idiot. Almost no one gave him a second look, though he caught a frown from a couple Slytherins. He supposed that they wondered if they knew him and couldn't place him.

He had morphed, used the same morph as when he'd met Lyra before, though he had done his best to make himself look roughly sixteen or seventeen. It had seemed only days ago that he'd been an awkward teenager, but somehow he'd managed to stop looking like one and had had to figure it out again.

In spite of all Rod's talk about how simple the secret passageways were, Rigel was disinclined to believe him. If he couldn't remember the way to anywhere, and he couldn't remember the passwords to whatever shortcuts his uncle told him, he'd be stuck in Hogwarts until he was discovered by a teacher.

Rigel stopped as someone crashed into him, then immediately stepped away and turned to look at him. She was glaring at him, her blonde hair tied up in a Slytherin Quidditch ribbon. "Why don't you watch where you're going?" she hissed at him.

"Well now," Rigel said in a tone he would have used on his sister, "you ran into me, so you really shouldn't be upset with me, should you, little missy?"

She stared at him for a split second, then reached for her wand, a curse on the tip of her tongue. Rigel raised his hand, not even reaching for his wand as he attempted to disarm her. To the girl's credit, she was able to keep her grip on her wand for a little longer, though it dragged her across the space between her and Rigel and dropped her on the floor at his feet when she tripped.

Rigel stepped aside to give her room when she fell, her wand in his hand. "Oh dear," he said softly as she clenched both of her fists and began to get to her feet. "Such a clumsy child, aren't you? My mum was like that too, though she's mostly grown out of it...oops."

He let her wand slide through his fingers and clatter loudly to the floor as she stood there facing him, her face flushed with anger and embarrassment. He turned to walk away and realised that there were several students around them, watching.

"Loved the way you put Goyle in her place," a boy only slightly shorter than Rigel laughed, falling into step with him. "She's a difficult one."

"Oh, is that who she is," Rigel mused but didn't risk a glance backwards at the witch. He couldn't help chuckling along with the kid now walking at his side.

"I'm Jonathan," the boy introduced himself. "Fourth year. Gryffindor, obviously."

"I'd never have known," Rigel smirked. "I'm Robert."

"Robert," Jonathan nodded. "What House?"

"Well," Rigel shrugged, "Slytherin."

The boy frowned. "Oh."

Rigel raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect that? Sometimes we don't like each other, either." He interrupted as the boy was about to speak. "You know, I was in a bit of a hurry earlier, but I forgot to ask someone how to get to the Hufflepuff Common Room. I'm supposed to meet someone there."

"A special someone?" the younger boy grinned.

"Sort of," Rigel said mysteriously. "I'd be grateful if you could show me or tell me the way."

"Sure," the boy shrugged. "I'd rather do that than an Herbiology assignment. Or that awful essay we've got for DADA tomorrow."

"Right," Rigel laughed. "It won't help you for your OWLS, though."

"I have all of next year," Jonathan replied, then motioned Rigel to follow him. "Come on: I know a shortcut."

The little Gryffindor led him through the corridors and down a few flights of stairs until they were at the base of the Grand Staircase. "Down that corridor," Jonathan pointed out, is the entrance to the Hufflepuff Basement. "You must know what it looks like. You have to knock on the second barrel from the left in the rhythm of their founder's name. Oh, the middle stack of barrels. You can't miss it."

Rigel was about to ask him to say it again when the boy waved goodbye and dashed off out into the grounds. With a sigh, Rigel walked through the Entrance Hall and down toward the lower parts of the castle. He found the stack of barrels, selected the one the Gryffindor had described and knocked on it. _Helga Hufflepuff._

"Fuck!" Rigel couldn't help yelping when one of the barrels shot open, spraying him head to toe in what seemed to be vinegar. He swore under his breath as he drew his wand and attempted to clean himself off as he tried to back away into the shadows.

"Robert?"

Rigel groaned inwardly as he was approached by the very person he had wanted to see. "Hi," he sighed awkwardly.

Lyra Scamander smiled at him kindly. "Here, let me take care of that. It works best with _Scourgify_." She cleaned his robes easily. "And if a Hufflepuff does it," she added. "Otherwise it could take weeks to go away."

"Uh, thanks," Rigel said, still feeling embarrassed.

"Did you come here to see me?" the witch asked him, motioning him to walk with her as she headed back toward the main part of the castle.

"Yes," Rigel said simply. "I wanted to see you again, and I was an idiot not to set up a time for us to meet."

She smiled. "I knew you would come back," she told him. "I'm proud of you for finding the Common Room, though."

Rigel grinned at the praise, keeping quiet about the help he'd had. "I wish I'd had the full Hogwarts experience," he said. "I wish my sister could have it, too."

"Oh, yes, how did she like her gifts that you picked out?" Lyra asked curiously.

"She tried using the Extendable Ears on me and our mother, but I went out of the room and told her off for it," Rigel chuckled. "Though I think she also listened in on one of Dad and his brother's conversations, and her ears turned bright red. I don't know what that was about."

"Oh dear," Lyra laughed, and Rigel was thrilled at the sound. "Were you thinking of a walk around the lake, or did you have an idea of what to do?"

"I don't know," Rigel admitted, looking at her ruefully. "Sorry that I'm a bit of a mess at the moment."

The girl tilted her head to meet his gaze, then said, "Let's go to the lake. It seems to be a favourite spot for students, though it should be almost deserted right now."

Rigel agreed, and the two walked down toward the lake. "I do have to go to the library this afternoon," she told him as they found a place to sit near the shore. "Professor Granger loves to assign us essays because she hates everyone."

"Wait—who?" Rigel asked in confusion.

"Hermione Granger—you know, the girl that helped the Chosen One against Voldemort," Lyra said.

The boy jumped in shock as she spoke and breathed, "Don't say his name!"

Lyra looked up at Rigel's face. "We needn't be afraid of a name," she said softly, and Rigel shook his head.

"It's not exactly fear, though. It's honour for the power," Rigel admitted. "Anyway, I thought the Granger M—girl—worked for the Ministry. Does she do both now?"

"No," Lyra frowned at him. "She has no history of working with the Ministry—are you okay?"

"Sorry, I must have been thinking about someone else because she's not married," he said in confusion. "How strange."

"I can't imagine her settling down into marriage," Lyra shrugged. "She's a bitch."

"I see," Rigel chuckled. "So what does she teach that she likes to make so difficult?"

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," the girl sighed. "Mum says she's turned out not unlike Snape, her old Potions teacher. I don't think anyone's got any business being that sour, though."

The young man laughed. "Unrequited love can do strange things, I've been told," he said.

Lyra shook her head. "Anyway, we have to write a two to three-page essay on the effects of Dark Magic, cross-referencing certain books and spells. The more boring, the better grade I'll get. And she seems to enjoy gloomy descriptions, too."

"I can help you write it," he said to her, "if you want."

"I'm sure you have far more interesting things to do," Lyra told him, "but I would really appreciate the help."

"Of course," Rigel replied. "I mean, I have missed the whole Hogwarts experience, so I might as well see a little of what it's about."

Lyra grinned, then pointed out into the lake. "Look: there's the Squid!"

Rigel looked out over the water and saw the creature splash through the surface, then disappear beneath the waves. "I would have loved this place."

"Everyone loves Hogwarts," Lyra agreed. "I can't even begin to understand why your parents would want to homeschool you unless it was tradition?"

"Not one I'll carry on," Rigel said firmly, and Lyra nodded.

"It's nearly time for lunch," she told him. "You should come sit with me and eat."

Rigel agreed, and when it was time, the two walked into the castle and entered the Great Hall together. She couldn't help giggling at his reaction, though she slipped closer to him and grasped his hand. "Don't gawk like a First Year, Rob. I'm sure you don't want others to know."

He didn't let go of her hand as they walked to the Hufflepuff table, taking their seats as some of the other Hufflepuffs greeted Lyra. She smiled at them and introduced him to two or three before she gently hushed their inquiries, serving herself food before passing the serving spoon to Rigel.

The young man was quickly distracted by the food and didn't speak for a few minutes until he said, "Hogwarts has some very fine house elves, doesn't it?"

Lyra smiled. "The castle always looks wonderful and the food is always amazing," she said. "It's a home away from home."

A little while later, the two were finished and on their way to the library to do Lyra's essay. Rigel had reassured her that he wouldn't be missed and that he wanted to help her, so she happily allowed him to stay.

Time passed fairly quickly, and Rigel was soon reluctantly saying goodbye to the young witch as she packed up her books and papers to return to her Common Room. "Do you want me to walk with you to the gates?" she asked him.

"If you want," he replied. "Though I know a shortcut out of the castle, and I was just going to hurry off that way."

"Oh, okay," Lyra said. "Well, I guess I'll see you around, won't I?"

"I would like to see you again, yes," Rigel smiled at her, getting to his feet.

Lyra moved to get up, but accidentally bumped the table and tumbled to the floor, her things falling out of her bag. Her face burned red with embarrassment as several of the students around laughed at her misfortune.

With a single move, Rigel turned and glared at the students, hexing two or three of their mouths shut before he reached down and helped Lyra to her feet. He swished his wand and set the books and parchments flying back into her bag. "Don't mind them," he murmured to her, his hand on her back as he led her from the library.

"Thanks," she mumbled, still blushing.

They didn't say a word as he walked her back to her Common Room, the witch turning to him at the entrance. "Are you going to visit me at home this summer?" she asked him.

Rigel looked at her for a few seconds, not knowing what to say because of his family's situation. "I would love to," he replied simply. "Though it may not be easy to see you at your house because of my family. I could meet you in town, if you would like."

"Are you keeping secrets from them?" Lyra asked him in concern.

"Not really," Rigel answered.

"You're a very strange boy," she told him, and he chuckled.

"That I am," he agreed. "Shall I write you when to meet?"

Lyra tilted her head and smirked at him. "Yes," she answered. "When and where. And thanks for the lovely time."

Rigel smiled. "Thank you, Lyra," he replied, turning to leave.

She paused as the door to her Common Room swung open, then reached out and caught him by the sleeve, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "Thanks for defending me." Lyra turned and quickly disappeared into the Hufflepuff Common Room, leaving Rigel to rub his cheek and grin like an idiot.

He made his way toward the Slytherin dungeons to find his way out, looking around curiously and wondering what it would have been like to have belonged in this castle. He wasn't paying attention as he should have and his heart nearly stopped when someone grabbed him, hissing into his ear, "Lestrange!"

Rigel almost panicked, though in the next second, his captor had pushed him into a room and shut the door behind them, warding the room quickly. He turned around, half afraid to see who was there, but to his surprise,his captor was Delphi. "What are you doing here?" he said in confusion.

"I could ask the same of you," Delphi retorted. "After all, neither of us should be here."

"I'm doing what you said," Rigel couldn't help snickering. "I'm getting a girlfriend."

"Like them young, do you?" Delphi smirked. "Too much like your father, boy." Rigel opened his mouth to protest, but Delphi cut him off. "Have you noticed any changes?"

Rigel blinked. "Changes?"

Delphi huffed in impatience. "Anything different from the past?" she repeated. "Changes in history?"

"No," Rigel said, then frowned. "Well, that Granger Mudblood never became Minister...she's the DADA professor, and Lyra says she's a horrible person."

"Hmm," said Delphi, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Are you close to figuring it out?" Rigel asked her.

She looked up at him as if he'd interrupted a very important thought. "Shall I just say your father had better walk the line?" she smirked. "Now leave. I can't figure this out with you here."

Rigel rolled his eyes at her, feeling the ward crumble, and left, murmuring, "Good luck."

* * *

"Rigel Lestrange, where have you been?!"

The daydreaming young man jumped in shock and nearly tripped over the last step of the stairs. "Father! I spent the day with...a friend."

Rabastan glared at his son. "You—" he waved the boy to follow him, taking a moment to try and calm himself as he led the way to the study. "You've been gone the whole day, and no one knew where you were—look, the sun's just going down. Your mother is worried sick—didn't you even think?"

"I was perfectly safe," Rigel answered sharply. "I visited the girl at Hogwarts, and we walked around the lake, and I also helped her with a DADA essay. It was fine. I'm fine."

A laugh came from someone other than Rabastan, and Rigel looked further into the room to see Rodolphus seated on the other side of the desk. "Perfect date," he chuckled. "Helping a girl with her studies."

Rigel shrugged. "She seemed to appreciate it," he replied, deciding it was easier to ignore his father for the moment. "Besides: what did you do when you were courting Bellatrix?"

"Well," Rodolphus smirked, "I seem to remember taking her to the Dark Lord and soon going off killing and torturing. Not a perfect beginning to a lifelong relationship, but there you are."

"What about you and Mum?" Rigel asked his father.

"Those two?" Rodolphus chuckled. "All they did was shag like a couple adolescent children. They didn't even really think of marriage until Bellatrix caught them at it one day and tried to convince Nymphadora that Rabastan wasn't the best for her."

"That was only because she thought I was like you," Rabastan retorted.

"Poor Bella was right to be worried," Rodolphus mused, smirking at his brother. "I am the more loyal and tolerant of us."

"Ha!" Rabastan scoffed at him. "Perhaps you are now, but back then you were an awful man." He turned quickly, realising that his son was about to place his hand on the door handle. "Rigel, you are not getting away that easily. Come back here."

Rodolphus chuckled, "But I'm still an awful man," as Rigel turned back to them.

"Rodolphus knew I was at Hogwarts," Rigel said to his father. "Did you even ask him?"

"No..." Rabastan frowned at his brother. "He knew we were worried, though. If he knew, he should have said something."

"I said that you had probably lost track of time and for them to have faith in you," Rodolphus told his nephew. "Not enough, apparently."

Rigel sighed in annoyance. "Father. I have never gone anywhere without letting someone know at least the general area of where I'll be. If I am caught, I will stay out there, and you will hear about it in the _Prophet_. I would not endanger our family. Now excuse me." The boy turned and left the room without looking back.

Rabastan turned to his brother. "Why couldn't you have just told us he was meeting a girl at Hogwarts?" he demanded.

Rodolphus sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Would you have worried any less, dear brother? Would it have helped to ease Nymphadora's mind? I told you to have faith: you have to, in these matters."

"But you don't understand," Rabastan snapped. "He's our son!"

"Poor boy." Rodolphus got to his feet. "He's alive and well, and hasn't been found out. I'll see you at dinner in a little while."

Rodolphus made his way down the hall to the sitting room where Rigel was talking to his mother in a soft voice. "I'm glad you're okay," Dora said, squeezing the boy's hand. "Next time, tell us if you plan to be out all day, please."

Rigel sighed. "I didn't plan it, Mum. I just went, and it happened."

Nymphadora looked up as Rodolphus walked in, and she asked, "Do I need to go sort out my husband?"

"What do you think?" Rodolphus grunted. "Bastard hasn't changed a bit in twenty years."

The moment Nymphadora was gone, the young man glanced between Rodolphus and Andromeda. "I...saw Delphi at Hogwarts."

"Ooh!" Andromeda said in delight. "How is she?"

"Is she close to finding out how to do it?" Rodolphus asked intently, staring at the boy.

"She's getting closer, I think," Rigel answered. "She knew who I was and locked me in a room to question me. That's also why it's been so long. Anyway, she's still working on it, but she's doing well."

"Good," Rodolphus sighed in relief.

"How do you plan to go about telling your parents?" Andromeda asked Rigel.

"I was hoping you could say something to Mum, and she might tell Dad," Rigel answered. "Or," as he turned to Rodolphus "you could tell Dad, if he still wants to listen to us."

The three fell silent as Bella looked into the room. "You're back!" she yelped, running across the room and tackling her brother in a hug. "I knew they wouldn't get you!"

Rigel grinned, peeling his sister off of him. "And I saw Delphi," he told her. "She says hi, and to behave for your mother and Andromeda."

"Like she ever did," Bella scoffed. "Whatever. Is she okay?"

"She's doing great," Rigel promised her.

"Do we really want the Dark Lord back?" Bella asked, looking at the three.

Andromeda looked away from the girl, and Rigel frowned, but Rodolphus looked straight back at his niece. "The question is not whether we want him back, Belle," he said quietly. "The only proper answer is that whatever happens, we will be faithful. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Uncle Rod," she replied seriously. "It can't be all that bad, can it?"

* * *

 **My heart, my soul. I love Rodolphus.**

 **Dora**


	30. When time is turned

**So life has been super busy recently and I am shit at remembering to upload the next chapter (I'm currently writing the second to last).**

 **Sorry for the delay! Please do read, enjoy and leave a review if you have a moment!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora groaned as she turned over in bed, bringing the sheets up to cover her head as she tried to salvage any extra minute she possibly could to stay in bed. Though her plight was in vein. Within seconds she could hear the steps on the wooden flooring, the weight of another body leaning on the bed and the hand grasping onto the sheets hovering for a moment before the last barrier between herself and the sunlight streaming through the window was snatched away.

"Wakey wakey," the familiar voice hummed, laughing slightly as the woman groaned in response, "come on, Dora. It's nearly midday."

"I have a headache," Dora groaned.

"Well, that's what happens when you come into my room and down half a bottle of fire whiskey."

"That was your fault as much as it was mine," Dora sighed, wincing for a moment before she sat up and faced the woman now sat beside her, "honestly mother, how does your head not feel like it's split in two?"

Bellatrix merely snickered, tossing her wild black curls over her shoulder as she leant against the headrest, she looked to her eldest daughter through her heavy-lidded eyes amused at the girl's glare. "Drink this," Bellatrix said, passing her a small vial of bubbling blue potion, "I already have, though I admit I didn't drink quite as much as you did."

"That looks disgusting," Dora murmured, nonetheless she took the vial and downed its contents with a grimace.

Bellatrix took the empty vial, reaching over and putting it on the bedside table before she wrapped an arm around Nymphadora to pull her into her side. The younger woman groaned, resting her head on her mother's shoulder as she closed her eyes. "It tastes as disgusting as it looks," she groaned.

"Yet you would think you'd remember that from last time," Bellatrix chided, "and the time before that . . . and the time before that and—"

"Oh shush," Dora hit her mother's arm teasingly, "you make it sound like I get drunk and pass out in your bed every night."

"Not _every_ night," Bellatrix smirked, stroking her daughter's dark purple locks absentmindedly.

"Maybe once a month or so . . ." Dora sighed.

"Just every time Rabastan gets too much?" Bellatrix asked airily, feeling her daughter stiffen underneath her, "I told you—"

"He's never hurt me," Dora said, though from the tone in her voice her mother couldn't help but think she was hiding the truth from her, "he just . . . he gets upset sometimes."

"Because you spend time with your mother?" Bellatrix hissed, "I should never have let you marry him, never have approved of it. You're a good wife, you gave him heirs, you—"

"Mum it's fine," Dora said, unravelling the woman's arm from around her for a moment as she squeezed her hand and looked at her in all seriousness, "I love him and he loves me, we just . . . every marriage has its problems. You of all people understand that, don't you?"

Bellatrix stared at the woman, her mind going elsewhere momentarily as she pulled her hand away from the girl and let her gaze wander to the old moving photograph on her chest of drawers, "Yes . . ."

"I—I'm sorry mum, I didn't mean to—" Dora shook her head, reaching out and touching the woman's arm, "hey, how about I go get dressed and we can go out or something?"

"No . . ." Bellatrix shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts as she forced a smile at her daughter, "but you do need to get dressed."

Nymphadora nodded before with a frown she looked down at her nightdress, "This isn't mine . . ."

"No," Bellatrix laughed, "it's mine."

"I can't remember . . ." Dora murmured, thinking for a moment before her eyes widened and she looked to her mother in horror, "did you _dress me_?"

"No," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, "you just didn't have any night clothes and I wasn't walking you back to Rabastan in the state you were in,"

"Right," Dora blushed heavily, "I should go back to him . . ."

"Dora—"

"He's fine," Dora insisted, getting up from the bed she looked around, her eyes lingering on her crumpled dirty dress on the floor for a moment before she went to her mother's wardrobe, "I'm borrowing a dress."

"Help yourself," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, crossing her legs on the bed as she watched her daughter pull out one of her simpler dark dresses and dash behind the old oak dressing screen.

"Thanks," Dora mumbled, emerging from the screen a few minutes later and tightening her corset with a flick of her wand.

"We could go out later?" Bellatrix cocked her head to the side as she looked to her daughter, a slow grin appearing on her features, "I can see if Delphi wants to come along, we can have a family outing."

Dora hesitated for a moment, looking to her mother before with a sigh she nodded her head, "I'll see what I can do, I'll come find you."

"Make sure you do," Bellatrix said as she summoned the mornings Daily Prophet.

Nymphadora took it as her queue to leave, sighing as she left the room she wondered if Rabastan would be in their bedroom or if she was better off going to check on her daughter. At ten years old all the little girl had on her mind was her pending Hogwarts letter, the little girl was all too excited to leave her parents behind without a second thought. Dora couldn't help but wonder, not for the first time, if Rabastan and her would grow further still apart with none of their children at home full time. Maybe she should have another child, she wouldn't mind another baby to coo over and distract her from the rest of her life, as much as she hated to admit it, it would be an excuse to spend less time with her ever less sane mother and more with her husband . . . though could Bellatrix cope with a new grandchild? Could s _he_ cope with a new child? She was nearing 48, though it was true she was only a couple of years older than her mother was when she had—Dora let out a grunt as she collided into someone.

"Watch where you're going!" Dora snarled, ready to curse the latest idiot Death Eater roaming the halls, though when she looked up to see the culprit she sighed and stopped herself from going to her wand, "Delphi, sorry."

"Dora," Delphi breathed, "you're here."

"Where else would I be?" Dora frowned, straightening her robes as she took in her younger sisters appearance. Her long, silver, blue-tipped hair was down and almost wild like their mothers around her shoulders, her usual haughty expression gone in replacement of what looked like a mixture of excitement and shock, even her clothes seemed slightly off-kilter with her usual look of regal perfection, "Aren't you supposed to be at the Ministry this morning?"

"The Ministry?" Delphi asked, frowning for a moment before she shook her head, "I decided not to go in."

"Right . . ." Dora sighed.

"Where is—" Delphi hesitated for a moment as if deciding who she needed to see, "everyone?"

"Everyone?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "Bit of a broad spectrum there, Delphi."

"Well," Delphi shook her head, "Rabastan, Rodolphus, Bellatrix . . ."

"Well," Dora frowned slightly, her sister had never shown the slightest interest in her husband, "Rabastan is possibly in our room, Rodolphus is at school and _please_ don't start calling mum Bellatrix again. Don't tell her I told you this but it really upset her the last time you started doing that, you know it doesn't matter who you are Delphi and I don't care if you don't act like my sister in front of other people but for Merlin's sake she's your mother not another follower."

"I—" Delphi hesitated for a moment, her brows furrowed as she gave her sister an incredulous stare "I wouldn't, I mean—I didn't mean . . . I didn't mean Mum . . ."

"You don't mean Renee do you?" Dora groaned, "I told her not to go by her middle name—she said she would when she got to Hogwarts, you know strike fear into the hearts of her classmates by reminded them who her grandmother is—but I told her it wasn't a good idea. Between me and you I don't think Rab would be best impressed if people started calling Renee Bellatrix."

"Renee?" Delphi frowned.

"Yeah, I've told her she can't do it but her argument was her brother gets to do it with his name," Dora shook her head as she let out deep breath, "she's fine enough with Lestrange as her last name, I've told her as much but she won't listen."

"How does Rigel get to do it with his name?" Delphi asked.

"Rigel?" Dora looked at her sister strangely, "I meant Rodolphus."

"Rodolphus?" Delphi raised an eyebrow, "Well, of course Rodolphus strikes fear into people with his name, his face is enough for it."

"Are you trying to make a jab at my son's looks, Delphi?" Dora narrowed her eyes, "Because he has Black looks and so do you, so . . ."

"Your son . . ." Delphi repeated, unable to hide her shock and confusion murmuring to herself, "you have three children . . . of course, those Aurors didn't come after you so you never lost it . . ."

"Aurors? After me?" Dora scoffed, "Delphi have you taken something? The Aurors are under our control why on earth would they ever come after me? I haven't had to fight an Auror since . . . well since before you were born I think. Are you okay?"

"What about Andromeda?" Delphi ignored her sister's question, though frowned as she seemed to go paler and stepped towards her hushing her voice.

"Delphi, you swore you wouldn't tell," Dora whispered in rushed tones, "I never saw her often—that time you caught me going there was the last time," she lied, "please be quite or people will hear you. Mum would probably go kill her if she found out what with the state she's in lately and I—Just don't."

Delphi shook her head, confusing Dora even further as she was sure her usual evil smirk would have appeared on her features as she reminded her of the secrets she knew and could use against her at any time.

"But what about . . . Mum's Rodolphus?" Delphi asked.

Dora stared at her as if she had asked if they were having Harry Potter for tea, "Excuse me?"

"I—" Delphi hesitated for a moment, "What about my parents?"

"Well," Dora thought for a moment, "I think your father is abroad at the moment and Mum . . . I think we should go see Mum . . . yeah, I'll take you to Mum."

"I don't need you to take me, I can go on my own," Delphi said defiantly, though there was still a hint of something strange in her eyes.

"I know you can," Dora said, "but Mum wanted us to go out a bit later anyway, might be a good chance to plan it?"

Delphi hesitated for a moment before she nodded slightly and directed the girl back in the direction she had just come from. She glanced back at her sister every now and then, her concern for her growing as the younger witches gaze wandered around the halls distractedly. Dora shook off the feeling of unease her sister was giving her as she knocked on her mother's door.

"Mum?" Dora called out.

"Come in," the voice responded, a tone of confusion in her voice.

Delphini Riddle felt like there was a weight on her chest, her head was pounding, her heart beating at least five times its usual speed as far as she could tell and a churning feeling was currently happening within her stomach. Dora frowned at her as she opened the door, going in ahead of her.

"Dora, I thought you were going to see Rab?" the voice carried out from her room, her mother's voice, the voice that she had heard many years ago when she was so tiny that she couldn't even remember hearing it, the voice she had only heard in the memories of her family. With a deep breath she forced herself to walk into the room, though the minute she passed the threshold she couldn't move any further. Her mother's face split into a grin as she saw her. Though she was older than the memories and photographs she had seen, she was undoubtedly her mother. Her eyes were the same colour as her own, her hair was still a wild mess of black curls (though there were far more grey streaks throughout it now) though her hourglass figure remained, tightened into a deep midnight blue dress. Delphi even recognised her own grin in the woman, though she must have been staring in silent awe at the woman for far too long as her grin faltered slightly.

"Are you okay, darling?" Bellatrix asked, looking from her youngest to eldest daughter and back again.

"I bumped into her in the corridor," Dora interjected, stepping towards her mother though she didn't take her sight off of Delphi.

"She . . ." Dora shook her head, "I don't know if she got hit with something or she's sick but she's acting weird."

"Delphi?" Bellatrix frowned, closing the gap slightly between herself and her eldest child she reached out and put her hand to her forehead "Are you sick? Has someone done something to you?" the woman's look hardened, "If someone's done something to you—you tell me who it is and I'll—"

Delphi didn't hear what her mother would do to anyone that had hurt her (though she had barely registered anything else she had said if she was perfectly honest), as her emotions overwhelmed her she did something she very rarely did to anyone and could certainly never remember doing to her own mother. She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around her, hugging her tightly as she buried her face in her wild locks. "Mum . . ." Delphi murmured, screwing her eyes shut as she felt her mother raise her arms to return her embrace, stroking her back.

"Shhh," Bella whispered, "i-it's okay . . ."

"Should I get someone?" Dora said quietly to the side of the pair, "Perhaps a healer?"

Bellatrix shook her head, though she did not release her daughter from her embrace as she continued to rub her back. "No . . ." Bella sighed.

"Okay . . ." Dora said awkwardly, "I'll go see to Rab then . . ."

Delphi heard her sister walk away from them, relaxing a little as she heard the door close behind her. Bellatrix stroked her hair out of her face, hesitating for a moment before she pulled back slightly to look at her daughter. Frowning slightly she brushed the hair out of her face, looking curiously to the tears welling in her youngest daughter's eyes.

"What's happened?" Bella asked, her voice practically a whisper.

"N-Nothing," Delphi cleared her throat.

"Liar . . ." Bella hummed, she looked the girl up and down for a moment before she took her hand, going over to her bed and sitting down. She brought the girl with her, laying back on the bed she pulled the girl to lay with her.

Delphi melted into her mother's arms, letting her embrace her as so many emotions rushed through her that she could not pick out a single one of them. She rested her head on her shoulder, closing her eyes as the woman brushed her hair away from her face.

"I haven't held you like this in years . . ." Bella said, her voice airy, an almost absent feel to her tone, "when you were little . . . before you decided that the heir to The Dark Lord shouldn't 'show weakness' in such ways . . . that hurt . . ."

"I'm sorry," Delphi murmured, still gripping onto her mother.

". . . You've never apologised . . ." Bella said.

"I—" Delphi hesitated for a moment, though for the life of her she could not think of what to say. It was true, she very rarely apologised for anything, she couldn't recall a single sincere apology she had ever given, but this was her mother. She had dreamt of her parents her entire life barely daring to hope she would ever be in the position she was in now. She couldn't think. Before she could realise what was going on the mood instantly shifted, she gasped at the sting of the previously gentle touch on her hair turned into a tight grip, instead of laying on her mother she was thrown beneath her with her mother glaring into her eyes, the hand that was not pulling on her hair was now digging her wand into her throat.

"What have you done with my daughter?" Bellatrix hissed.

"Wha—I am your daughter!" Delphi cried.

"My daughter never apologises! She never shows weakness!" Bellatrix said.

"I-I am!" Delphi shook her head, "I can explain, I—"

"Explain fast," Bellatrix said, a crazed look in her eyes, "so I can find my real daughter. What have you done to her?"

"I haven't! I—!" Delphi struggled under the grip of her mother for a moment, yelling out as the older witch threw a hex at her.

"What did your father say to you the last time the three of us met?" Bellatrix asked hurriedly.

"I-I don't know, it's complicated, I can answer other stuff though!" Delphi shook her head, beginning to panic, she had not counted for this situation. "Dora! Her father is your father!"

"Everyone knows that," Bellatrix growled, "that's why Rita Skeeter is dead."

"O-Okay," Delphi nodded, "I can speak parcel tongue, you kept a memory of when I was born, f-father spoke in parcel tongue to me b-but you couldn't understand it any more, he said I would grow to be second only to him,"

Bellatrix paused for a moment, loosening her grip on the girl for the briefest of moments before she tightened it once again, "You're lying, you know I can't understand parcel tongue so you're _lying to me_."

"You don't understand," Delphi shook her head, desperately trying to think of how to prove to her mother she was who she said she was, "there's another timeline, I _changed the timeline_ —Well, Potters kid did which is rather ironic—"

"Potter is dead," Bellatrix hissed, "he died years ago."

"I figured," Delphi couldn't help but smirk despite her position, though she quickly gasped as Bellatrix slapped her.

"Where's Delphi?" Bellatrix demanded.

"I'm here!" Delphi yelled, "I—The battle of Hogwarts, just before you left you sealed me and Rigel into your special room with Dora and made it so that if one of you died the other could lift the enchantments, you wanted Dora to look after me but Narcissa didn't think it was a good idea—"

"How have you gotten this information?" Bellatrix said, hint of panic in her voice.

"Dora told me, she showed me—"

"How?" Bellatrix hissed, "How did you get—What did you do to Dora?"

"Nothing, I—Ah!" Delphi yelled out as Bellatrix suddenly yanked her by her hair, pulling her from the bed, "What are you doing?!"

"I need to check on Dora," Bellatrix hissed, blasting the door open as she took Delphi with her.

* * *

Dora entered her bedroom, glancing to the form of her husband still in their bed. He seemed to still be asleep, she wondered if she changed back into her nightdress she could convince him that she had never spent the entire night away from their bed. She flicked her wand and opened the drawer that held her pyjamas.

"Morning," Rabastan said, turning over and looking up to face his wife, "need I ask where you've been?"

" . . . Out," Dora eventually said, an air of defiance about her.

"Liar," Rabastan rolled his eyes getting off of the bed and walking over to his wardrobe to get ready, "you were in your mother's room."

"So what if I was?" Dora raised an eyebrow, sitting on the edge of her bed as she watched her husband get changed.

Rabastan did not answer at first, taking his time to get changed before he slowly turned and looked to his wife shaking his head, "You're always with her."

"She needs me," Dora practically whispered, staring down at her lap.

"And what about me?" Rabastan raised an eyebrow, walking over to the witch and lifting her chin to look up at her, "What about your husband, Nymphadora?"

"Don't," Dora pulled her chin away, "I'm not getting into this fight for the thousandth time. She doesn't have anyone else, Delphi is barely around anymore and Rod . . . It's my fault,"

"Stop it," Rabastan growled, grabbing the woman by her shoulders, "it is not your fault that Rodolphus is dead!"

"It is!" Dora yelled, going to stand only to be pushed to sit back on the bed, "He got in the way! I was supposed to die, not him!"

"Dora," Rabastan said slightly more softly, "you were pregnant, of course—"

"Don't justify it," Dora gritted her teeth, glaring at the floor as Rabastan kneeled in front of her.

"I—Dora look at me," Rabastan narrowed his eyes, waiting for the woman to look at him before he carried on, "I am fed up with you living in this cycle of blame and self-pity, it has been fifteen years. I have tried to help but all you do is cling to your mother like she's another one of your children for you to look after, it's not healthy."

"I—"

"No!" Rabastan slapped the woman, she let out a small gasp though she didn't attempt to move, she was too used to it. "You are my wife, Dora. I—"

"Mum?" a small voice came from the door, followed by a knock, "Dad?"

The two looked at each other for a moment, not moving an inch as they both silently contemplated pretending to ignore their youngest child. Renee always had a habit for wanting them at the wrong moment.

"I know you're in there," Renee groaned, knocking again, "Nan taught me how to check."

Rabastan gave his wife a look, she knew he didn't approve of her mother teaching their daughter things, he sighed before he walked over to the door. Dora walked over to her mirror, checking herself to make sure there was no visible slap mark before she sighed and ran her finger over her lipsticks. Rabastan's demeanour instantly changed as he saw his little girl, smiling playfully at the pouting ten-year-old.

"Why didn't you answer me?" Renee asked, walking over to her mother and taking one of the lipsticks out of her hand.

"No, Renee," Dora sighed, taking it back and turning to face the girl, "you're too young for lipstick."

"I am ten!" Renee huffed, "I'm not a little girl."

"You'll always be our little girl," Rabastan smirked as he went and ruffled her hair, watching it go bright red.

"I—"

The three all turned the door to the room burst open, Bellatrix Lestrange looked crazed, staring intently at her daughter. The unannounced arrival of a dishevelled looking Bellatrix was not an uncommon occurrence, though the tight grip on her youngest daughter's arm and clear look of worry and discomfort on the younger witches face was definitely a rare occurrence. Dora stood and furrowed her brows in confusion, ignoring the look her husband gave her.

"Dora," Bellatrix said, ignoring the rest of the occupants of the room and throwing her youngest daughter to the floor in front of her.

"Mother!" Dora cried in shock, putting a hand on Renee's shoulder as her hair went white and she backed into her, "What on _earth_ are you doing?"

"Well, this ought to be good," Rabastan mumbled.

"She's not Delphi," Bellatrix shook her head, pointing her wand at the girl trying to get up from the floor, she sent a quick hex her way to keep her down, "She's speaking nonsense."

Dora tried to think of what to say, what to do, but her mind drew blank and in the end, all she could think of was to look to her husband, "Rab, take Renee out of here."

"Mum!" Renee whined, "No, I want to know—"

"Now," Dora let go of her daughter, gently pushing her towards her father.

Rabastan sighed, going and taking the girls hand, "Come on, sweet heart," Rabastan said, trying to keep the annoyance out of his tone, "We can go shopping if you like."

"I don't—"

"I'll take you to Knockturn," Rabastan said, pleased when the girl nodded slightly he took her from the room, giving his wife one last glance before he closed the door behind them.

"She isn't Delphi," Bellatrix shook her head, "she's been saying things—things she shouldn't know,"

Dora considered the woman for a moment before she sighed, she took two steps towards her sister giving her mother a reassuring look as she tightened her grip on her wand. Delphi looked up at her older sister, an almost pleading look in her eyes. Dora frowned then knelt down in front of her.

"What have you been saying to Mum to—well, to make her think you aren't you?" Dora asked, hesitant to believe her mother's suspicions straight away.

"I-I'm not—I changed the timeline," Delphi shook her head, "this is new to me."

"What do you mean, you changed the timeline?" Dora asked.

"Timeturner . . . this isn't how it originally worked out," Delphi swallowed, sitting up and looking at Dora, "I changed it."

"The time-turners are destroyed!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Not all of them," Delphi said, a hint of annoyance in her tone now, "I'm telling the truth! I risked _everything_ to get here!"

"Okay, so prove it," Dora said simply.

"I've already tried, I can't answer your questions because my life from the age of one is entirely different!" Delphi hissed.

Dora drew her wand, slowly pointing it to Delphi, "You need to prove it, okay?"

"I—" Delphi looked at her wand for a moment before she nodded in understanding, "if you must."

"I must," Dora said, " _Legilimens_."

Bellatrix paced the room, pulling at her hair as she watched Nymphadora search in the girls mind. She pulled at her hair, her mind was racing as she couldn't stop it. It felt like the girls had been sitting in silence for hours already, though she was sure it had only been minutes. The look of her eldest child didn't comfort her any, her hair had tinged white at the roots and her fists were clenched tightly on her skirts. Bellatrix was just starting to consider pulling them out of it when with a large inhale of air Dora fell backwards onto her hands staring at Delphi with wide eyes.

" _Well_?" Bella pressed.

"I-It's Delphi," Dora breathed, "she's telling the truth . . ."

"I—" Bellatrix's eyes went wide, leaning against the wall for a moment before she slipped down to the floor, "I hurt my daughter—I used magic against my daughter,"

"I-It's fine, Mum," Delphi said, looking to her, "I should have expected it—I mean, I wouldn't trust someone that looked like someone I knew if they were acting different or couldn't answer questions . . ."

"I—" Bellatrix looked up, a strange calm coming over her features as she realised something, "We lost—in your timeline . . . Did I go back to Azkaban?"

Dora walked over to her bed, sitting down and looking at the floor. She had seen it, she knew her mother had not gone to Azkaban, but she didn't want to be the one to say it. Delphi cleared her throat, lowering her voice slightly as she said, "You died . . . S-So did father."

Bellatrix stared at the floor for a moment before, to Nymphadora's surprised, she slowly raised herself to her feet. She walked over to her youngest child, putting a hand on her shoulder for a moment before she hugged her gingerly.

"It's okay . . ." Bella murmured, stroking the girl's hair.

The two witches stood in each other's embrace, completely forgetting the third still sat on her bed staring at the floor until she spoke again, "Who killed—Who killed Mum?"

Delphi hesitated before she took a step back from her Mum, "Molly Weasley."

Dora and Bellatrix exchanged a glance, though the moment Dora couldn't help but let out a breath of laughter Bellatrix let out a cackle. The older witch sat next to her eldest child on the bed, trying and failing to stifle her giggles.

"That's ridiculous," Bellatrix shook her head.

"Isn't she dead now?" Dora frowned, trying to think.

"Yes," Bellatrix smirked, "Rodolphus took her out shortly after the battle. Idiot stayed at her hovel to battle some of us off whilst the rest of her family escaped. A fat lot of good that did her, I lose count of how many of her offspring have actually survived to date."

"Good," Delphi said, "I was ready to hunt her down myself. Though she didn't deserve a quick death."

Dora raised an eyebrow, "Did we say it was quick? She got brought back here for a while, I think she was down in the dungeons for . . . a few weeks?"

"What happened after the battle?" Bellatrix said quickly, almost as if she was nervous to ask, "You went with Dora, no? Where did you go?"

"We went to Black Manor," Delphi said, sitting down on the other side of her mother as she gestured for her to sit, "I was too young to remember, obviously, but from what I was told we went to Andromeda's, didn't last there for very long, camped for a little while then we've been at Black Manor ever since."

"You went to Andromeda's . . . ?" Bellatrix asked, her voice slow and careful, she could feel Nymphadora stiffen beside her.

"Yes," Delphi said, too caught up in everything going on to pay much attention to her mother and sister's sudden shift in mood.

"Who lived at Black Manor?" Bellatrix asked, pulling the hand she had on her eldest daughters lap away.

"Well, at first it was me, Rab, Dora, Andromeda and Rigel." Delphi said, her glance drifting to Dora as she realised the look on her face that of nervous fright, "Then Rodolphus—he got sent to Azkaban to start because he defended Rab and Dora long enough to get them out of the battle when it all went to shit—but he escaped when I was little and joined us then. Then Bellatrix when she was born, but that was ten years ago."

"Renee was named Bellatrix?" Dora frowned, almost trying to change the subject, "I suppose that would make sense if Mum was . . . well . . . but what about Rodolphus? I mean I suppose he wouldn't have been called Rodolphus what with him being alive and all but—"

"He wasn't born," Delphi interjected, noticing her sisters face fall slightly, "I mean, you were pregnant but some Aurors came and . . . Rab told you to stay inside but you refused not to defend me and Rigel so you ran out and got hit . . ."

Dora paused for a moment before she shook her head with a sigh, "He's right, I'm an idiot sometimes."

For once Bellatrix did not berate her daughter nor slate her son-in-law for such comments against her, she merely looked to Dora with a curious gaze, "Why was Andromeda there?"

"I—" Dora flinched slightly as her mother's gaze turned into a glare, she knew she couldn't get out of this one.

"Either you or Delphi are going to answer this, Nymphadora," Bellatrix said more sternly.

"Fine," Dora sighed, "I suppose she was there because I asked her . . . before the battle I was scared. I thought we would win, don't get me wrong! But I was worried what would happen if it didn't. I went to Andromeda—" she flinched as her mother hissed, "I knew I would have to convince Rab that it was a smart idea to take Delphi with us if we ran together—and if it was only me alone and he died I had no hope—I knew I needed more help and I had no clue where we would run first. The Ministry believed I had near enough disowned Andromeda so she seemed like a safe bet to go for starters." Dora chewed her lip, not daring to mention that she also didn't want to leave Andromeda alone for the rest of her life, or the fact that she _wanted_ her there.

Delphi was the first to break the silence after that, feeling slightly uneasy as she witnessed her mothers hatred for her aunt first hand "Dora once said that you chose her to raise her and she turned out fine, that Andromeda would be able to help in the same way. I mean, I didn't know her before but if you saw her now you'd think she was an old Death Eater—she killed people to help get us to Black Manor."

Bellatrix scoffed, standing to her feet "I told you not to go there, Nymphadora."

"I know . . ." Dora near enough whispered, "it was wrong . . . I was scared about what would happen and too appalled at the idea that you might die to think too clearly . . ."

"Have you seen here since then?" Bellatrix asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dora did not look at her, though in the few seconds she hesitated for Bellatrix grabbed her chin and made her look up at her. She concentrated deeply and lied, "No."

Bellatrix stared into her eyes for a few moments before she let out a huff, the girl had long learned to block even her attacks on her mind, "Do not let me find out you've lied to me."

"I won't . . ." Dora whispered, shaking her head slightly and sighing a breath of relief as her mother let her chin go.

"Well," Bellatrix grinned as her personality changed like the wind, turning to face both of her daughters with glee, "I believe we should have some fun. But Delphi you need to change—well, I suppose you don't know where your room is. Dora can take you, maybe we'll go out later this evening . . . or tomorrow . . . I have things to be doing for now."

Bellatrix leant down to her youngest, squeezing her tightly and kissing her hair before without another word nor a single glance at her first born she swept from the room slamming the door behind them and leaving them to their own devices.


	31. Poor Decisions

Delphi took a deep breath and turned to her sister. "What on earth just happened between you and Mum?"

"Well, you're not the same, obviously," Dora sighed, glancing at the door that Bellatrix had slammed shut. "And I'm sure it was upsetting to hear that you came from a world where she was dead and you were raised by her husband and disowned sister."

"I can't believe Rodolphus is gone," Delphi breathed, shaking her head. "He was so strong..."

"He took a spell meant for me," Dora said, her mouth dry.

Delphi turned toward her sister, seeing the older witch brush away a tear impatiently. "He did?"

Dora nodded. "I was pregnant with our second child, and got into a bit of a mess with a rebel. Rodolphus defended me, Delphi, and I watched him fall before Rabastan was able to reach us and save me."

"He was a good man," Delphi said quietly, looking into her sister's face.

"Was he?" Dora scoffed, then bit her lip at the younger witch's expression. "Well, I suppose you did live with him your whole life, didn't you?"

"From the age of seven," Delphi replied with a sigh. "He taught me to duel because no one else wanted to...including you. But Rodolphus...he had a good heart, in spite of the mistakes he made in the past."

Nymphadora shook her head, laughing a little. "That's...I don't know."

Delphini gave the older witch a knowing look. "He learned his lesson from the time he refused to accept you, and he took on the responsibility of helping raise and teach me and the other Rigel when he escaped Azkaban."

"That's so strange," Dora sighed. "Knowing that he's still alive in your time."

"No more unusual than Mother and Father being alive here in yours," Delphi said in a hushed voice, and Dora bit her lip.

"I can't imagine Mum being gone," she mused, "though perhaps it would be easier in some ways..."

"It was," Delphi told her. "You didn't fight with Rabastan very much at all, and Andromeda was always the voice of reason and understanding for all of us. And Rodolphus just kind of let things happen." She laughed, Dora laughing hesitantly as well. "We sort of irritated Rabastan, but he deserved it," Delphini shrugged. "He hated me my whole life because I made Rigel look bad all the time. I was mean to Rigel, but I mean, he _was_ a weakling until Rodolphus stepped in and made Rabastan do something about it." She giggled, but Dora just looked at her in concern.

"Our children have always been strong," Dora frowned. "And Rigel has turned out very well."

"He wasn't raised with me," Delphi laughed. "And the one I know is fine now too, but it was just amusing growing up. He was a slow learner."

"Well, that's true," Dora sighed, shaking her head as she recalled struggling to help him with a Summoning Charm, "but he got it all together."

Delphi agreed. "So," she said, placing her hand on the doorknob, "I need to go change my dress, and then I'm going out for a little while."

Nymphadora seemed to think this was a great idea. "Good," she said. "I've got to check on Rabastan and Renee, so that'll work out fine."

Delphi was glad when Nymphadora had left her at the door to her own room, quickly passing the Parselmouth and the blood ward to gain entrance. She did not waste time finding a dress from her counterpart wardrobe, though she was highly amused to see that the selection was definitely more daring than most pieces she'd ever worn at Black Manor.

She decided quickly, laughing to herself as she thought of what the Dora and Andromeda she knew would say if they could see her. She made sure she was more than presentable, then walked from the room straight toward the gates. Delphi had realised only too late that she shouldn't have mentioned Andromeda in front of her mother and sister, but she was amused to know that Nymphadora still saw Andromeda in this timeline, also.

The blood between them was strong, Delphi thought as she stepped through the gates of the manor. She wondered for a few moments what had become of Narcissa, but brushed it off-she'd never really known the witch anyway.

Delphini disapparated. She only faintly knew the place where she was going, having been taken there by Dora on one otherwise boring day a few years back. Delphi approached the house eagerly, yet nervously. She was fully aware that the occupant of the home knew she was there as she passed the outer wards, then the next layer, then walked straight toward the door.

Lifting her hands, Delphi felt the ward over the door and broke it in seconds. Andromeda's blood wards had never been able to stop her, anyway. The young woman walked into the sitting room and looked around, realising Andromeda was upstairs.

"Andromeda?" Delphi called, wondering at the cold, dead silence in the dark place. She was amazed to see the same old picture of Rigel as a newborn that Andromeda had always had sitting on her mantle. She could only assume that the other two baby pictures were of Rodolphus—how strange to call one of her nephews that—and the other little Bellatrix.

Delphi turned to the stairs with a sigh and started climbing. "Dromeda, quit playing around!" she called. "You've never been one to hide like this!" There was no reply, and she huffed in annoyance reaching the top of the stairs and casting a spell to reveal where the other witch was.

To her surprise, the spell revealed two persons. "I'm here to warn you about Mother. And who's here with you?" Realisation came to her and she laughed, "Dora? Dora, did you lie? Did you lie to me like you always do?"

A door opened and Delphi was immediately on her guard, though she couldn't help seeing her aunt and smirking. The witch stared at her coldly, obviously having suffered down through the years. She had definitely thrived better at Black Manor.

"What do you want?" Andromeda asked coldly. "I have nothing to do with you, or with anyone."

"Which is why Nymphie is hiding in the closet," Delphini scoffed. "Nymphie, come out here like a good witch!"

Andromeda frowned at the Heir of the Dark Lord cautiously. "What is your warning, Delphini? And why would you come here to give it?"

"Well, it's a very long story," Delphi sighed, "but I mentioned something about you to Mum, and she wasn't pleased...I think she's going to try to kill you once and for all."

"That's nothing new," Andromeda scoffed. "She's hated me for years-what are you playing at?"

Delphi scowled at the woman. "I'm not the same Delphi that this world knows," she said, seeing the witch raise an eyebrow in doubt. "I'm from an alternate timeline where-where the Battle of Hogwarts went very badly." She shook her head, unable to speak of all the situations that were changed as she remembered seeing her mother alive for the first time.

The door opened and Dora stepped out into the hall, looking at her sister. "I was trying to tell her about it, but I didn't have time before you arrived, Delphi."

Andromeda Tonks looked between the two younger witches. "What are you going on about, Dora?" she said severely. "This is serious!"

"Indeed," Delphi smirked. "Nymphie found to be clinging to her second 'Mum.' Wouldn't Bellatrix love that?"

"Delphi," Dora said nervously, "don't. She doesn't know your past." The witch turned to Andromeda. "I know this is really strange, but this Delphi isn't from our time. She's come to us, trying to fix her timeline."

"What do you mean?" Andromeda demanded sharply.

"In her timeline," Dora said quickly, "her parents died. In the Battle of Hogwarts."

Andromeda turned to look at Delphi, who was watching her earnestly before speaking. "Dora took me and Rigel and dragged her husband here to your home right after the battle," Delphi explained with a smirk, seeing Andromeda's expression. "I mean, you had promised to help if anything happened. Anyway, after a couple days here, you two persuaded Rabastan to behave himself and, after fending off an Auror attack, left here to live at Black Manor."

Andromeda stared at Delphi incredulously. "I would never have agreed to live there," she said with a frown.

"For your family, you'd do most anything, Andy," Delphi grinned. "I've seen that. But Rab and Dora made sure the manor got 'decontaminated' for us children. And once Rigel and I grew up, you taught us the Black grimoires."

Nymphadora raised an eyebrow at Andromeda but was suddenly faced with a predatory expression from Delphi. "Did Mother ever teach you the Black grimoires?"

Dora just stared at Delphi's knowing smirk and didn't reply. "I teased you about it once; I guess I'll let it go this timeline," Delphi laughed.

"We raised you and Rigel?" Andromeda shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, I did plan things just in case we had to, but it was just us?"

"And her husband," Delphi rolled her eyes, indicating Dora. "Though we weren't really a full family until Rodolphus escaped Azkaban a few years later and came home to us."

The silver-haired witch shook her head. "He trained me-taught me to duel when everyone else said I wasn't ready. He always believed in me." The girl scowled for a moment, but the memory passed quickly. "Look," she said, "I've got to warn you, Andromeda. I accidentally mentioned your part in my alternate upbringing to my mother, and she was displeased. I think—I'm sure I've put you in danger."

Nymphadora nodded fervently in agreement. "Mother was furious," she sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she tried to drop by soon."

"So," Andromeda said slowly, looking at Delphi carefully, "you came here, instead of staying with your mother whom you never knew, just to warn me?"

"That's the influence of a loving family," Delphi huffed impatiently, then smiled ever-so-slightly. "Or maybe Rod's inability to abandon a bitch rubbed off on me."

"Well, thank you, dear," Andromeda told her with a small smirk of amusement. "I've often wondered if I'd have to move on from here. Apparently, it's time."

Dora looked between them, and Delphi rolled her eyes. "Of course you'll stay in contact," she said. "How will Dora protect Andy if she doesn't know where she is?"

"Don't call me Andy," the woman snapped. "And I don't need protecting."

"Perhaps you didn't, but you do now," Delphi replied firmly. "I'm so much nicer than the Delphi that this Nymphadora is afraid of. You know that today was the first day I've ever had my own sister treat me as something other than a child? It was lovely. I know how to act around the other Dora now, don't I?"

Nymphadora looked away from her sister's gaze for a moment, ignoring the small laugh of her sister "You're . . . a mixture of your parents."

"You always said I was like Mum," Delphi said.

"You are but . . . you're like your father too," Dora said, shaking her head, "we don't have time to talk about this, we need to get Andromeda out of here."

"I am perfectly capable of getting myself out of here, thank you very much." Andromeda huffed, rolled her eyes, stepping forward and taking Dora's arm, "You two need to get out of here."

"I am _not_ leaving you until I know you're safe," Nymphadora spoke firmly, narrowing her eyes at the woman as her dark hair began to tinge red.

Delphi walked over to the window, ignoring the two witches to give them their moment as she stared out into the small front garden.

"Dora," Andromeda sighed, raising her hand to her cheek and gently stroking the hair out of her face, smiling slightly as the red seeped away from her hair "I'll be fine. I always am. You need to think about yourself now, I'll always love you and I will miss you but these little visits are getting too dangerous—for both of us."

"I'm not in danger here," Dora shook her head, "Mum is just being a—" she glanced to Delphi for a moment before she looked back to Andromeda, lowering her voice slightly, "she's being a jealous fucking hypocrite. If she didn't want me to care about you she shouldn't have left me with you for so long!"

"Shh," Andromeda took the girl in her arms, rubbing her back as she let the woman rest her head on her shoulder, "she cares about you, you can't blame her for leaving you with me and you can't blame her addled mind for her jealousy. She wants you all to herself; I can hardly blame her."

Dora let out a huff of laughter, as she wrapped her arms around the woman, shaking her head, "She didn't have to get rid of me, you wouldn't have. If that was you, you would have left the family rather than give up your child."

"She isn't me," Andromeda sighed, pulling back from the woman she once called her daughter. She placed her hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes, "you know why she did it and you can't blame her for that. I think you'll find we've talked about this before, you've seen my memory of the day you came to me . . ."

"I—" Dora swallowed hard as her voice cracked, "I just don't think you should have to go into hiding. I—How will I find you?"

"You won't," Andromeda said quietly. "Not this time."

Dora hesitated for a moment as if letting the truth sink in slightly before with a solemn nod she spoke again "Let's gather what you need and then you can go—It's not up for discussion, I'm at least helping you get your stuff together."

Andromeda looked as if she was going to protest before she nodded, "Fine, I know better than to try and reason with your stubbornness."

"Too right," Dora laughed slightly, blinking back tears as Andromeda drew her wand ready to pack her life away.

"Pack fast," Delphini said quickly.

Dora frowned, though before she could ask her sister why the sudden rush, she felt it. The whole house shook, a roar of power surging the wards. Andromeda ran to the window, pushing Delphi out of sight of those outside. Her face froze in what seemed to be fear for the briefest of moments before she drew a steadying breath, acceptance washing over her features. Bellatrix Lestrange stood just beyond her wards, a look of fury on her features as she attacked her sister's wards to gain entry. She was not alone.

"Rab..." Dora breathed, grunting slightly as Andromeda pushed her out of sight of the window.

"She can't get in? I got in easily…." Delphi frowned, confused.

"You think I wouldn't ward my home against my sister specifically?" Andromeda scoffed.

"There's a blood ward," Dora said quickly. "I—I helped put it up—which she's smart enough to figure out when she realises what it is."

"It won't take long," Andromeda said, turning to the two girls. "Get out of here, both of you."

"No!" Dora cried. "She'll kill you!"

"Not without a fight she won't," Andromeda said, determination in her voice.

"It's too late to leave," Delphi said, glancing toward the window. "Why has she brought Rab?"

"She's not stupid," Dora murmured, looking down at the floor. "She realised I was gone and probably went and told Rabastan: she doesn't want to be the only one to blame for this..."

"He doesn't know?" Delphi raised an eyebrow at the witch.

"Yes, because my husband would be s _o pleased_ if he knew I liked to sneak off to see Andromeda on occasion." Dora rolled her eyes.

"We need a plan," Andromeda said, "and it's too late to reinforce the wards or get you out of here."

"She'd bring more people if she couldn't get in," Dora sighed, "I—"

They all ducked on instinct as with a tremendous roar the building shook more fiercely than it had before, all of them knowing from experience that the wards had fallen. The three witches stared at each other in silence as the mad laughter of Bellatrix rang out from outside. To the other witches'surprise, it was Nymphadora who stood first.

"Stay here," Dora said.

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda snapped. "No!"

"Trust me!" Dora hissed. "Delphi _cannot_ be seen here! Mum's wary of her enough as it is at the moment: what do you think the Dark Lord would do if he heard that she was involved in this on top of everything else? Andromeda...you just can't be seen. She won't hurt me." Dora forced a smile, unsure of how much she believed in her last statement as she looked to Andromeda. "Trust me."

As the sound of the front door ripping off its hinges and crashing into the house sounded from downstairs, Nymphadora did not give the others a chance to protest, nearly running from the room. She stopped only when she reached the top of the stairs.

"Dora," Rab breathed, though not in the shocked way his wife had spoken his name upon seeing him. He sounded...disappointed in her.

But Dora ignored her husband, looking straight into the face of her furious mother, unsure what to say though instinctively she put one foot in front of the other, approaching the witch. She ignored the fact that her mother had her wand pointed directly at her (even her own husband had his wand slightly raised by his side). Dora stopped only when she was halfway down the stairs, her mother narrowing her eyes at her.

"What are you doing here?" Bellatrix hissed.

"I could ask the same thing." Dora let out a huff of laughter despite herself.

"This is not funny!" Bellatrix screeched, causing her daughter to wince slightly. "Where is she?"

"I came here to tell her I wouldn't be seeing her anymore," Dora lied.

"How long have you been sneaking off here?" Rabastan spoke up this time, anger beginning to seep into his tone.

"I only see her once, maybe twice a year," Nymphadora said, purposely ignoring her husband's question.

"She's been doing it since she left here," Bellatrix spat. "Haven't you?"

"Why did you drag my husband into this, mother?" Dora asked, looking to the woman.

"He deserves to know that you've been sneaking off to see a blood traitor just as much as your own mother— _your real mother_ —does," Bellatrix glared.

"She's not my mother," Dora winced, uncomfortable under her mother's gaze. She had never seen her so angry at her. "I know that, but…she raised me."

"Raised you to think you were a half-blood," Rabastan growled. "You're better than her."

"I know," Dora swallowed. "Let's go home. Come on: we don't have to be here. I won't come back—I swear it. I'll make an unbreakable vow if I have to—let's just go home, now... _please, Mum_?"

Bellatrix's grip on her wand wavered slightly, a hint of sorrow crossing her features, but it was a moment that was short lived. She soon had her wand raised again, her features set in a stony stare. She shook her head."No, this ends now."

"Step aside, Nymphadora," Rabastan commanded.

"N—no," Dora said, struggling to keep the emotion from her voice as she stood her ground. A few moments passed of their silent standoff, but it was Rabastan that made the first move, starting toward his wife as she drew her wand in retaliation. It was at that moment that the three of them froze as the familiar crack of apparition came from downstairs.

"Come and get me, Bellatrix!" Andromeda yelled.

Nymphadora's face fell, her eyes widened, and it all happened too quickly. Bellatrix ran towards the living room.

"No!" Nymphadora cried, running down the stairs and rushing after the woman. She barely made it to the entrance of the living room before she felt her husband's arms closing around her. "GET OFF OF ME!"

"Stop this!" Rabastan yelled in her ear, his grip tightening as she struggled frantically against him. "We are leaving!"

"No..." Bellatrix breathed, the woman now standing in the middle of the Tonks' living room, her voice sounding distant as she stared at her once-sister, "she needs to know this can't happen again."

"Dora, don't," Andromeda said, though she kept both her gaze and her wand still trained strictly on her sister, "you need to—"

"Don't talk to her!" Bellatrix screeched.

"Why does she have those?" Rabastan spoke up, staring toward the fireplace. "Those are our children, Nymphadora. Why are there photographs of our children in a _blood traitor's_ house?"

Nymphadora shook her head. She was failing in her fight against her emotions, tears now rolling down her cheek as she feebly pulled on the arms of her husband. "Stop it," Dora cried. "She _raised_ me. You made her raise me!" she yelled, now glaring at her mother. "You can't expect to throw away the emotions I have for the woman who raised me! You took Remus, you took Ted, that's _enough_."

"...you sound like a blood traitor," Bellatrix said flatly.

"Hardly," Andromeda scoffed, "she's _your_ daughter; she knows that. She's married a pureblood and raised three pureblood children whilst fighting for The Dark Lord. She's no more of a blood traitor than you are. In fact, she's the only one who has managed to carry out her 'duty' and carry on her husband's name, isn't that right? Is that what you're upset about, Bella? That I taught her to be better than you?"

"Enjoy running your filthy mouth while you can," Bellatrix laughed, "it won't be for much longer."

Without warning, Bellatrix threw a curse at the woman, and though it was easily deflected, they were soon locked in a flurry of hexes and curses, each trying to best the other. Nymphadora yelled out, trying to get them to stop, trying to struggle against her husband's ever-tightening grip, but it was useless. Soon he had pulled her to the side of the room in spite of her protests, ignoring her as she lifted her feet to try and slow him. He hooked his leg around her own as he leant against the wall, pinning her arms to her side. He ignored her sobs as he pressed his lips to her ear.

"This is the best thing that could happen right now," he hissed. "You let her kill her and then after today we can forget this ever happened, do you understand me?"

"No," Dora cried, flinching as her husband pulled her back harshly, knowing she now had a clear view of the battle. "I'll never forget this," she choked, trying not to see even though she could not turn away.

"Give up and I will make it painless!" Bellatrix cheered, grinning as the younger witch narrowly missed a spell aimed for her head.

"Never!" Andromeda hissed, trying and failing to push her sister further back into the room. "You'll lose her for this! She'll hate you!"

"Sometimes a mother must do what is best for her child, in spite of their feelings toward the situation!" Bellatrix said informatively, pouting slightly as she continued, "though you wouldn't know anything about being a real mother, would you, Andy?"

"More than you ever would!" Andromeda hissed.

But she was outmatched. They had barely been battling for five minutes when, witha yell of pain, Andromeda was thrown back into the wall, groaning as she landed in the broken shards of her windows. Bellatrix tutted as she summoned the witch's wand, slowly making her way over to the woman now on the floor.

"Oh dear," Bellatrix sighed sarcastically, "it looks like you're finished here. Ready to join your Mudblood scum?"

"Mum, _please_!" Dora cried in desperation, letting out a small sob as the woman paused for a moment.

With a quick flick of Bella's wand, Andromeda Tonks was bound on the floor, her captor staring down at her for a brief moment before she finally turned to look at her daughter. Bellatrix stared at the young witch, the girl's hair a curled mess of white and mousey brown, her eyes red from her tears, her arms still pinned to her side by her husband. She walked to her slowly, looking to Rabastan for a split second as he loosened his grip ever so slightly. She stopped when she reached the girl, her hand slowly rising to wipe some of the tears from her face as she ignored her daughter's flinching at her touch.

"This is what is best, Dora," Bellatrix practically whispered. "You can't keep doing this; you can't run away to this woman. You are _my_ daughter...you have a husband, children—your half-sister is the Dark Lord's daughter. What we do reflects directly on them. The Dark Lord would not take kindly to you if he found out. We need to stop this, to clear the evidence. I'm doing this for _you_."

"Mum, I'll go," Dora sniffed. "—I'll never come back. I'll remove the pictures— _we can wipe her memory._ We don't have to talk about this ever again, we—we can walk away. Please _..._ I know it's my fault _—"_

"It is _not_ your fault, Dora," Andromeda said sharply. "She was the one—" her words were cut off with a single movement from Bella's wand.

 _"_ I'll do anything," Dora cried, knowing all was lost. "Please, Mum."

Bellatrix closed her eyes for a moment, the sight of her daughter crying as she begged for the life of the woman who had once been her sister becoming too much to watch. She shook her head and took a deep breath before she forced herself to look at the girl again. "I'm sorry, Dora..."

"No!" Dora cried as she watched her mother walk over to the woman. She breathed a sob as she tried to get her arms free from her husband, but to no avail.

Andromeda stared resolutely up at her sister, Black defiance and composure settled over her features as she accepted her fate. "This isn't her fault," Andromeda breathed, staring straight into the black eyes of her older sister, eyes that Nymphadora shared.

"No..." Bellatrix shook her head, all the usual joy of a kill absent from her as she regarded the witch with an emotionless stare, "it's my fault— **Avada Kedavra**!"

" _No!_ " Dora let out an unearthly scream, struggling harder than ever against her husband as she tried to get to Andromeda. She did not pay attention as Bellatrix went to the fireplace, taking the pictures of her grandchildren and daughter. No one noticed that she also took the pictures of her now dead sister. "Let me go!" Dora cried, hysterical now as she slumped against her husband, barely intelligible, "L—let me g—go to her...you've g-gotten your way...y—you've destroyed her...st—stop!"

Bellatrix took one last look at the body of Andromeda Tonks before she turned her gaze to her daughter, then shook her head and glanced at her son-in-law. "Take her home," Bellatrix murmured, and without another word, she was gone with a crack of apparition.

"Rab..." Dora cried, her storm of emotions threatening to take over, "Rab, please...she was all I had when there was no one else…"

"You have your mother—who you are always with—you have me, our children—there is _no_ reason that you should have come back here," Rabastan hissed. "Andromeda should have been killed long ago—I knew you'd been lying, but I'd hoped I was wrong."

"She understood," Dora sobbed, shaking from head to toe. "She loved me. Rabastan, I've got to tell her goodbye—"

"...you heard your mother," Rabastan said stiffly, and there was another crack of apparition.

The Tonks house was silent, the horrors of what had just happened only apparent from the wreckage left behind. After a minute, the sound of soft footsteps could be heard, a pair of feet slowly making their way down the stairs and into the living room. The sound stopped. Delphini Riddle's breath caught in her throat for a moment as she looked at the carnage around her. The smashed windows, broken furniture, and scorched walls were the least of her concerns.

Delphi hesitated for a moment before she walked toward the body on the floor. Andromeda had always been such a strong figure—even though she would never have admitted it to the woman herself, the girl held a small sense of respect for her. But now the middle Black sister lay motionless on the floor, her brown hair no longer kept neat and tidy as it lay in wisps on the floor around her. Her robes were no longer pristine but littered with tears and the odd scorch mark, ropes still constricting her. The familiar strong, yet kind expression was lost forever from her features as the woman now stared into nothingness. Delphini lowered herself to the floor beside Andromeda, drawing her wand as she removed the ropes and watched as they dissolved from her.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Delphi whispered, reaching out to carefully close the woman's eyes, "I didn't mean for this to happen. I'll look after Dora. I—"

Her eyes widened slightly: something was wrong. She could feel a pull, feel the world around her beginning to pull away from her. She had failed. The boys were changing the timeline again—everything was changing.

"No..." Delphi breathed.

But it was too late.

* * *

Rigel entered the library, glancing around quickly before his eyes fell on his uncle. Rodolphus Lestrange did not seem to notice him, but kept writing in a book, a look of concentration on his face.

"Rodolphus?" the young man asked him. "Have you been here all day?"

The older Lestrange looked up and focused on Rigel for a moment before asking, "What time is it?"

"A few minutes past three," Rigel answered. "We missed you at lunch...may I ask what is distracting you this time?" He smiled at his uncle.

"Rigel," the man sighed, then let his gaze fall back to the book he'd been writing in. "I'm putting together some thoughts and memories about your grandmother. I want her to be remembered."

"Writing her biography?" Rigel said quietly. "You know, I'm sure Mum would love to help, if you asked her."

Rodolphus frowned and didn't look up. "I'm not ready to share these thoughts," he said. "And your mother doesn't remember anything about Bellatrix before Azkaban, so she can't really help at all yet."

"I see," Rigel agreed. "Though you should eat something before Mum comes to check on you and finds out what you're doing."

"I'll go to the kitchens in a little while," Rodolphus muttered. "And your mother doesn't worry me. I can handle her."

Rigel raised an eyebrow. "All right," he agreed, then left his uncle alone in the room.

Rodolphus took a deep breath, then closed his eyes, trying to remember what memory he'd been trying to think of and isolate for removal. The man sighed after a few moments of useless thought. Maybe his nephew was right: maybe he did need to take a break from his constant thoughts of Bellatrix. The man got to his feet, putting the book in his pocket as he went to leave the room. He saw his niece walking toward her room and watched her for a second, noting how much Nymphadora, Delphi, and Belle all took after his Bellatrix.

Rodolphus turned away quickly. He might need a walk in the grounds as well as dinner in order to clear his mind this time.

* * *

Rabastan Lestrange sat in the study of Black Manor, the _Daily Prophet_ in front of him as he looked at it yet again, his head resting on his fist. His wife had left the room moments before, and he was thinking once again about what the Ministry had said concerning there being a child of the Dark Lord out there. They knew something now, even if they hadn't before.

The man rubbed his forehead wearily, wondering whether it would be worth the risk. He had no way of knowing if he'd ever come back to his family, or if it would even work out the way he wanted. He was a Lestrange: a highly wanted criminal, and he honestly wondered if they would try to kill him on sight.

He could see no other alternative and he knew that no one else would want to do such a thing. Getting to his feet, he left the study, walking through the halls. He was about to leave the manor and go out into the grounds when he heard his daughter call out, "Dad? Where are you going?"

Rabastan turned to look at little Bellatrix in all her relative innocence and gave her a small smile, holding out his hand to her. Drawing her into his side, he said, "I'm going out for a little while, but I'll be back soon." He kissed the top of her head. "Love you, Bella," he said, then let her go and walked away before he could do anything else that would weaken his resolve.

It did not take him long to reach the ward boundaries, though he allowed himself only a short glance back at the place where his family safely hid-he hoped. He left the grounds, walking for a little while before finally disapparating.

The man drew a deep breath, looking up and around at his destination. He hadn't been to the Ministry since he'd been arrested the last time, and he was not prepared when he was finally spotted and someone yelled out, "Look out, it's one of the Lestranges!"

It was over before Rabastan had barely moved, ropes confining him as he gritted his teeth from the pain of another curse that had struck him. He was taken to one of the holding cells, keeping absolutely silent though the three Aurors that were quickly around him were asking if his brother and wife were around as well.

Feeling the cold chains connecting his wrists to the table and with the old, familiar fear creeping up in him, he wondered if he had made the correct choice. Everything could go wrong. They would probably just question him and send him straight to Azkaban without keeping any sort of deal that he wanted them to make with him.

Rabastan did not respond except to say, "I will only speak to Harry Potter." He was actually surprised when Potter hurried into the room a few minutes later, his ginger friend at his heels.

"Rabastan Lestrange," said the black-haired man with the scar on his forehead.

"Potter." Rabastan spoke tonelessly, watching the Boy-Who-Lived. "I have information."

"I'm listening," Potter said, pausing right in front of the table.

Rabastan took a breath, then said, "It's about the Dark Lord's daughter."

Potter's and the Weasley's eyes widened, and Rabastan couldn't help but laugh. "Got your attention now, have I?"

Ronald Weasley frowned. "What do you know?"

"Not so fast," Rabastan tutted.

"Harry, no, we're not bargaining with a Death Eater," the Weasley said sharply.

"Or you could never know what I was going to say," Rabastan shrugged. "You do want to stop Delphi, don't you?" He raised an eyebrow at them.

"We aren't sure what she's doing," Potter admitted. "But she's playing around with time."

Rabastan looked directly into Potter's eyes. "If this works out, I want my wife and children to go free."

The Boy-Who-Lived frowned. "I can't promise, but your cooperation will give at least your wife a greater chance of freedom. Your children have nothing to do with your crimes, Lestrange."

He looked down at his chains once again, an ache in his chest as he thought of the possibility of his wife being taken to Azkaban. He couldn't bear the thought of her being locked away all alone, even though the dementors were gone. This idea of his was becoming more and more of an apparent disaster. There was nothing he could do to save himself. He could either tell what he knew, or they would probably force it out of him by extracting memories. He knew what it was to be forced to talk: he'd seen it happen to his brother.

Rabastan barely breathed for a few moments, trying to decide what to do with his poor life choices. He had to tell them what he knew about Delphini Riddle in exchange for the freedom of his family, unable to even ask for his own freedom.

"Delphini is trying to bring back her father."

Weasley stepped back in shock, but Potter didn't waver. "How do you know this?"

"We raised her in our home," Rabastan answered resentfully. "I didn't want her, but Dora had promised her mother that she would take care of Delphi if anything happened to her."

"Delphi is Bellatrix's daughter?" Harry Potter said in shock.

"Why am I not surprised?" Ron groaned.

"Delphini left our home with the intention of returning the Dark Lord to power," Rabastan continued, frowning at Potter, "fulfilling Rod's prophecy."

Harry nodded. "So Rodolphus does live with you. What's this about a prophecy?"

Weasley looked apprehensive. "Prophecies...can't be trusted."

"It said something about children killing their fathers and spares being spared before the Dark Lord would return," Rabastan answered. "I don't exactly see eye to eye with Rodolphus, Andromeda, and Nymphadora when it comes to Delphini," the man admitted. "I only care about my family, not the agenda of a dead man." Rabastan shivered at his own words.

"I want to know everything you can tell me about Delphini Riddle," Harry Potter said quietly. "She's endangering us all, and she's got to be stopped. I'm willing to take risks, but I need knowledge."

Rabastan looked back down at the cold metal links binding him to the table and agreed.

* * *

 **Curse you, Rabastan.**

 **Dora**


	32. Surprise

**Sorry for the long wait for an update! BUT, we now have this whole thing written and edited. Soooo, I'll be uploading a chapter a day and this story will be done before the year is out!**

 **So please read, enjoy and please do leave a review if you have a moment!**

 **Bella**

* * *

"I am not changing the wards!" Nymphadora yelled as she slammed her fists down on the dining room table, her hair was a wild curled red as she glared at Andromeda.

Rodolphus and Andromeda had pulled her into the room when they had seen her trying to leave the manor, ignoring her angry protest as they tried to reason with her that they just wanted to talk. Rodolphus now sat at the table, rubbing his temple as he rested his elbow on the table, Andromeda sat opposite him as she flinched at the sudden movement of Nymphadora.

"He understands the risk," Andromeda spoke firmly but quietly, "we all understand. We agreed this years ago and we should have done it by now. If he's been caught—"

"He's not been caught!" Nymphadora snapped.

"You can't know that," Andromeda shook her head, "it's been two days now."

"H-He might have been followed for a while," Nymphadora shrugged, straightening herself up as she tried to convince herself that the worst had not happened to her husband, "he's shaking them. We can't change the wards and stop him being able to get back in, that's ridiculous. How would you like it?"

"I would expect it, Nymphadora," Andromeda said, a slight pleading look in her eyes as she looked up at the woman, "It leaves us exposed, _it leaves your children exposed_."

"Don't you dare bring my children into this!" Nymphadora yelled, "You forget this is their father you are talking about banishing!"

" _Dora_ —"

"I'm not doing it!" Nymphadora glared furiously, "You can't change the wards without me and I fucking refuse!"

"You have to," Rodolphus mumbled, not looking up from the table as Nymphadora gave him an incredulous stare.

"What?" Nymphadora breathed.

"He knows, Dora," Rodolphus said quietly as he raised his gaze to look at the witch, "he would have expected you to do it by now."

Nymphadora looked to him for a few moments longer, shaking her head slightly as she considered his words, "That's your brother . . ."

"I know," Rodolphus said, "you can't accuse me of not caring. If it weren't for him I never would have found this place, Merlin knows where I would have ended up after I escaped Azkaban. I could have ended up straight back there or dead even. But he knows what has to be done."

The metamorphmagus merely continued to shake her head, though the red in her hair faded to black and her dark eyes glimmered with tears. "No . . ." she sniffed, "he'll come back . . ."

"Dora," Andromeda spoke gently, walking towards the woman and placing a hand gently on her shoulder as she looked into her eyes, "he'll find a way back to you—back to us all—but this is to protect us all . . . he would want you to do it."

"I—" Nymphadora swallowed hard, closing her eyes for a moment before she looked to Rodolphus, "I have to, don't I?"

The man hesitated for a moment before he gave the slightest of nods, immediately looking away from the witch as a single tear escaped her eyes.

"I—"

The room froze as the wards quivered. Nymphadora's eyes went wide in shock.

"Is that?" Dora whispered.

The door burst open, Rigel running into the room with a grin on his face, "Mum! It's father, he's back!"

The room seemed to pause for a moment in the shock of events before all at once it came to life again. Nymphadora ran from the room, ignoring Rodolphus and Andromeda's yell for her to wait. She didn't care, her feet pounded against the hard floor as she bound through the room. As she reached the main entrance hall of Black Manor she froze, watching as a hooded man entered the door.

"Rab?" she called, her words barely audible though the figure turned to her.

They lowered their hood. A sheepish grin shone back at her, "Hello, Dora," Rabastan breathed.

She ran to him, throwing herself into his arms as with a grunt he fell back into the wall at the force of her weight. Though she clung to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck as he buried his face in his hair and wrapped his arms around her, breathing in every ounce of her. They clung to each other desperately.

"Dora," Rab murmured into her hair, "I—"

"You idiot!" Dora yelled, hitting his shoulder as she pulled herself away from him, glaring at him though her cheeks were streaked with tears, "How dare you make me worry like that!" she hit him again, "How dare you leave me!" she hit him again, "We were about to change the wards on you!" she hit him again, punctuating each of her words with a further thump though he merely flinched and casually protected his head with his arm, "You. Had. Me. Worried. _Sick_!"

"Get away from him," Rodolphus growled as he strode forward, the couple not even realising that he had been there (nor the fact that Andromeda was also there, now fast approaching with her wand drawn). He ripped the man away from her, Rabastan sighing a breath of relief for only a split second before he held his breath in his throat as Rodolphus dug his wand into the man's neck.

"What are you doing?!" Nymphadora demanded, "I'm allowed to bloody hit the idiot, you can't _curse_ him!"

"Shush, Dora," Andromeda said, looking to the two men as she pulled Dora away from him.

"What did I say when I found you and Nymphadora together the first time?" Rodolphus asked, shaking the man as he looked to his wife and forcing him to look back at him.

"You called me an idiot!" Rabastan glared, "You called me an idiot, called Nymphadora a 'plaything' and said Bellatrix would murder me— _in French_ , which made you look like a twat because you didn't realise Dora could speak French."

Rodolphus considered the man for a moment before with a nod he let him go. Rabastan looked to his wife, the woman taking a step towards him, "Please don't try and hit me again," Rabastan sighed, though the woman merely shook her head, walking towards him and wrapping her arms around him again as she rested her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair, resting his head against her own as he sighed, "make your mind up, woman."

"I'm still mad at you," Dora mumbled.

"Where have you been?" Andromeda asked, not looking so ready to forgive the man as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"I—" Rabastan hesitated for a moment as he caught the curious stare of his brother.

"Dad?" Rigel grinned as he walked around the corner, his younger sister by his side.

"Daddy!" Bella yelled, running to her father and near enough jumping into his arms as Nymphadora managed to jump out of the way at the last second, "I missed you!" she cried as he sighed and hugged her, her arms wrapping around his neck "Where did you go? _Why_ did you go? They were starting to think you wouldn't come back—but _you said_ you'd be back soon. This isn't soon though, is it Daddy?"

"Sorry princess," Rab sighed, kissing the girls hair, "I'm back now. We're all okay."

"Rigel," Dora sighed as she looked to her son, "can you please take Bella to her room? I need to speak to your father."

"No!" Bella whined.

"I'll send him to you as soon as I'm done with him, Bella, okay?" Dora reassured the girl, raising her eyebrows at her pouting face before the little girl huffed and pulled away.

"We all need to speak to your father, Belle," Rodolphus said, "he'll be up to see you soon."

"I need to speak to you first," Dora shook her head, "alone."

"Dora—" Andromeda went to speak, though suddenly all of the adults in the room froze.

Rigel frowned, "Was that—?"

"The wards," Dora breathed.

"Rigel, take Bellatrix upstairs, now." Andromeda said firmly.

Bella whined, not fully understanding the severity of the situation, "But—"

"Now!" Nymphadora yelled this time, the little girl's going wide in fear as she was not used to her mother yelling at her.

"Come on, Bella," Rigel rushed forward, sweeping the ten-year-old into his arms, he looked to his parents, panic settling in his features.

"It will be fine," Rab said calmly, "it's fine. Go upstairs."

Rigel hesitated a moment longer before with a small nod he ran upstairs to hide.

"How have they found us again?" Dora asked, her hair now pure white as she rushed to peek out of the small window by the front door, "They haven't been here since . . . they can't be here again!"

"They're tearing down the wards," Andromeda muttered, her wand now drawn, "we haven't got time to reinforce them. Do we go out there? Or wait for them to come in here?"

"The children . . ." Dora breathed, wrapping an arm around herself as she pulled her wand from her robes.

"What have you done?" Rodolphus gritted his teeth as he looked to his brother.

"It's fine," Rabastan shook his head, "they won't . . . I— . . ."

Dora winced as the wards began to crumble, catching sight of the group of Aurors now trying to invade their home.

"What did you do?!" Rodolphus bellowed at his brother, though the man merely winced and shook his head.

"This is not the time to yell at each other!" Andromeda glared at the two men, "We need to fight. Dora," Andromeda walked over the woman, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing her to turn to look at her, "if we begin to lose you go to the children and get them far away from here."

Dora shook her head, "Rigel knows, he-he knows to run if he has to."

"We need to lay down our wands," Rabastan said, his voice calm and collected though the rest of the room turned to stare at him as if he had just grown an extra head, "we need to surrender."

"You've done something," Rodolphus hissed, "I know you have."

"They won't hurt us—not if we surrender," Rabastan shook his head.

"I am not willing to test that theory, Lestrange!" Andromeda hissed, storming past Nymphadora and looking towards the window, "They're coming . . . they aren't peaceful. They've already put anti-apparation wards up, if a peaceful surrender was on the cards they would have tried to talk to us by now. You brought them here, Rabastan, you were followed."

"You should—"

"Enough!" Nymphadora yelled, "If Rabastan was followed here it was not his fault! Now we need to deal with this. We will guard the stairs, we don't let them get upstairs—we need to keep them away from the children. We stick together and we do not run outside to meet them—this isn't ending up like last time . . . No-one is getting hurt. Understood?"

The room was silent for only mere seconds. It was soon too late to argue again even if they had wanted to. The wards crumbled. Without a sound Andromeda and Rodolphus ran towards the stairs, Rabastan hesitated slightly, looking towards the oncoming Aurors as if dumbstruck at the sight of them.

"Come on!" Nymphadora yelled, grabbing the man's hand and running to meet up with the others.

"Don't throw the first spell," Nymphadora commanded, as if back helping her mother lead the Dark Lord's troops into a dangerous mission, it was instinctive, "let them fire first."

"We can't fight them," Rabastan shook his head, though as his wife shot him a glare he drew his wand regardless.

The sound of the front door smashing into a thousand pieces echoed throughout the manor and Nymphadora couldn't help but jump in fear for a moment before she hardened her glare. Footsteps pounded throughout the manor, each running off in different directions. Four Aurors ran towards the stairs, stopping the moment that they saw the family.

"Drop your wands!" one of the men said.

"No thank you," Rodolphus growled.

"Agreed." Andromeda glared.

"They're here!" one of the female Aurors cried.

Rabastan stood forward, his wand drawn though held at his side, unlike his family who all had their wands pointed towards the intruders in their home.

"Put your wands down," Rabastan said simply.

"Rabastan!" Dora hissed, grabbing his arm with her free hand and trying to pull him back, though he did not budge. Even when more Aurors rushed towards them he did not move. They were now outnumbered, at least two to one.

"Potter," Rodolphus laughed as he saw the man with the shadow of a lightning bolt scar on his forehead step forward, "all grown up."

"Lay down your wands," Potter said, though he was mainly looking towards Rabastan.

Nymphadora's eyes flickered around the room, trying to assess the situation as a thousand ideas ran through her head. It was only as she was looking around the room in the silent standoff that something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. There were only a few portraits hung around the stairs of the manor, Narcissa's portrait had run the moment the Aurors had arrived, Druella was currently stood with her lip curled as she muttered something under her breath about scum, a few scattered frames stood empty (whether they had fled at the sight of the intruders or had never been there Nymphadora did not know), though it was the portrait of Rodolphus that caught her eye. The man's younger portrait self stood watching them curiously, though suddenly he turned as if he had spotted something in the distance to the left of his frame. Nymphadora tried not to watch, tried to stay focused, though as she watched the portrait form of her late mother rush into the frame she couldn't help but watch. The woman's heavy-lidded eyes widened in shock for a moment, pausing briefly to take in the scene before she rushed forward, her painted husband grabbing onto her arm as she let out a scream of fury that echoed the room.

"Kill them!" Bellatrix screeched, "Kill them all!"

But they didn't get a chance to move. The yell from the portrait of Bellatrix Lestrange was enough to set the scene into motion. Without warning a spell came hurtling towards the family as the first Auror threw the spell. Portraits were quickly emptied as spells began to ricochet off the walls, wood splintering all around them as even the walls began to become scorched and dented.

"Stop it!" Rabastan yelled, though he threw spells at their foes they were arguably less harmful than the rest of his family's.

Nymphadora was on auto-pilot, blood rushing to her head as she fought for her life, panic running through her like she hadn't known in years. She became locked in battle with a pair of Aurors, the two women flinging spell after spell at her as she tried her hardest to defend herself. She was fighting remarkably well, she would not fall like she had last time. A sickening thud rang out through the room. A yell of pain coming from Andromeda Tonks as she was hit square in the stomach with a curse, she skidded across the room and collided with the wall. She went to reach for her fallen wand but before she could move it skidded away from her and instead her whole body was bound as ropes flew towards her.

"Mum!" Nymphadora screamed, not even berating herself for the slip of the tongue that caused her to call the woman her mother as she continued her fight despite her fears.

"Get out of here, Dora!" Rodolphus growled, "Take the children and go!"

"No!" Nymphadora cried, blinking back tears as she continued to fight.

The two Aurors that had been fighting Andromeda quickly turned, one to run to the witch and point her wand at her to ensure she wouldn't move though she merely let out a groan of pain as she rested her head on the floor, the other to help in the fight against Rodolphus. Though Rabastan was the next to fall. It had almost seemed as if he had purposely dropped his wand from what Nymphadora had managed to see from the corner of her eye, but soon he was on his knees, his hands bound as he looked desperately to his wife.

"Dora!" Rabastan cried, "Surrender! It will be okay!"

"I am not going to Azkaban!" Nymphadora yelled, continuing to fight.

"You won't!" Rabastan yelled.

"Don't listen to him!" Rodolphus growled as he continued to fight, "He's probably under the imperius!"

Dora gritted her teeth, backing up the stairs as she tried to hold off the three Aurors now coming after her, but the terror in her was quickly rising. She couldn't do this. She couldn't fight. She couldn't win. Rodolphus let out a yell of pain as the side of his robes suddenly tore open and blood began to flow from his side, he hunched over, the moment of vulnerability causing him to be caught off guard as he too was thrown viciously to the floor.

"Stop it!" The yell of Rigel Lestrange sounded as he rushed down the stairs.

"No!" Dora cried, "Get back upstairs! Run! Get your sister and run!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Rigel yelled, throwing a curse at one of his mother's foes.

"Don't hurt them!" Rabastan yelled before turning to Potter, "You said! You said you wouldn't hurt them!"

Dora froze, realisation suddenly washing over her as Potter yelled at an Auror to go heal her brother-in-law. _Rabastan had turned them in_. She was about to be captured because of her own husband. A spell went whizzing past her, narrowly avoiding her side as she shrieked and deflected another curse. She ran up to her son, standing in front of him in an attempt to shield him, she grabbed his wand hand before raising both of her hands in the air and yelling, knowing it to be the only thing to do.

"Stop!" Nymphadora yelled, screwing her eyes shut as tears flowed down her cheeks, "Don't hit me! _I'm pregnant!_ Please! I surrender!"

Rabastan felt his blood run cold as he stared at his wife. The woman was terrified, unable to stop her tears as her white hair fell in front of her face. He had done this to her. Without even knowing that his wife was carrying his unborn child, he had put her in the exact same situation she feared more than anything. He had put their child in harm's way by having Aurors at the Manor yet again, running the risk that the woman he loved more than anything would relive her worst nightmare.

"Dora . . ." Rabastan breathed, the woman opening her eyes to look at him through her tears though she dared not move an inch. The Aurors approached her and Rabastan turned to Potter, glaring furiously at him. "You said! You said you wouldn't hurt them! Don't hurt her!"

Nymphadora gritted her teeth, trying to stop her tears as she felt her son's hand on her shoulder.

"Mum . . ." He breathed.

"It's okay . . . You're innocent . . ." Dora whispered.

She stared directly at the Auror approaching her, fear running through her despite her greatest effort to stay calm. The Auror kept their wand raised even as Nymphadora dropped her wand, the sound of wood clattering to the floor echoing throughout the room. Without warning a bright light raced towards her. Nymphadora heard her husband yell out in protest, the sound echoing through her mind as the world went dark around her.


	33. The Ministry of Magic

**Ugh. Rabastan, why are you stupid?**

 **I have officially written myself out of love with Rabastan. What an idiot.**

 **Dora**

* * *

He couldn't have imagined this. Even knowing the dangers their family had always been, he would never have thought that he would be imprisoned with his father and uncle in a holding cell at the Ministry. Too much had transpired in the last couple of hours for him to understand and accept his present condition.

They'd all been so concerned that Rabastan had been captured that they'd nearly forgotten to make sure it was him when he'd returned. It had been slightly worrying when Rodolphus had grabbed Rabastan away from Nymphadora and demanded the answer to a safe question. It had been Rabastan, all right, with a pack of Aurors after him.

Rigel Lestrange looked over at his father, sitting in another corner of their cell with an annoyed expression on his face. His father had betrayed them, had tried to cut a deal with the Ministry. And where were they now?

He looked around the cell, seeing only bare floor and a little cup of water. What had his father been thinking to put his entire family in this situation? Had the man lost his mind? Rigel wasn't sure what to think; he only knew he strongly disapproved.

"Come on, Rod, say something," Rabastan sighed.

Rigel glanced between the two older men, seeing Rodolphus' stoic gaze not waver at all. Rabastan had been trying to get his brother to talk for nearly an hour, and Rigel wondered if his father should just leave Rodolphus alone. After all, the man had put the entire family in harm's way—especially his wife.

It made Rigel very angry to see what the entire encounter had done to his mother. He had never seen his mother break down like that, no matter what she'd been going through. Obviously no one had known that she was pregnant again—he had also never seen her so terrified before. He did not like seeing her reduced to tears and begging in front of careless Ministry workers.

He had caught her when they knocked her out, and shot his father a look of condemnation when they took his mother from his hands. He had never felt so helpless in his life as he watched the Aurors round up his family before inviting him and Bella to stay with their family. He could only hope that his mother, sister, and Andromeda were okay.

"Rod—"

"You know, Father, perhaps he doesn't want to talk to you," Rigel said irritably.

Rabastan turned to look at his son. "Well, he should. It's the only way he's getting out of here."

Rigel scoffed at this. "It isn't you that's doing the questioning, now, is it?" he said evenly. "What have we got to do? Tell the Ministry how disloyal we are and what Delphi's up to? Such a noble thing to do."

"Do not speak to me that way," Rabastan said to the younger man sternly. "I am your father."

"Yes, and look what you did to mother," Rigel said coldly. "Look what a spectacle you made of her—of all of us."

"I didn't know—I would never—you know I love your mother, Rigel," Rabastan sighed. "I didn't mean to hurt her. I want us to be free: I found a way. We just have to be careful."

A snort of derision from Rodolphus made both Rabastan and Rigel look toward him. "There you are," Rabastan scowled at his brother, getting to his feet and walking over to stand in front of him. "Can you speak to us now?"

Rodolphus looked up at his brother, then turned to Rigel. "Tell your father that I do not want to talk to him."

Rabastan laughed in disbelief as Rigel looked between the two hesitantly. "Don't be a child, Rodolphus," Rabastan berated him. "This was the best way to do things."

Rodolphus was still regarding Rigel thoughtfully. "Even you disagree with this madness, don't you? Your dear father's lost his mind."

"Please don't talk through me," Rigel said, fidgeting slightly. "I understand, but—please don't."

"See?" Rabastan said to Rodolphus with a shrug.

Rodolphus turned to his brother slowly, a deadly look in his eyes that took Rabastan aback. "You," Rodolphus hissed venomously, "have gone against everything that our family has stood for the last forty years!"

Rabastan's expression did not change. "Our family will be free thanks to me," he said sharply. "It continues, thanks to me."

Rigel rested his head in his hands, wishing that Rodolphus hadn't started talking at all. The two Lestrange men were back to the age-old argument of lineage, and Rigel did not want to hear it.

Rodolphus moved so fast that Rigel barely looked up in time to see Rodolphus catch Rabastan by the collar and slam him against the cell door. "YOU DISGRACE OUR FAMILY BY YOUR ACTIONS!" he yelled in the man's face. "You left us and came crawling to Potter like filth! You brought the Aurors down on us—on Nymphadora, when you KNOW what happened last time! We do not make deals and hide our past, Rabastan."

Rabastan winced slightly when Rodolphus shook him, hitting him against the door as if he were nothing. A vein was standing out on Rodolphus' temple, his face red with rage as he yelled at his little brother. "We are not ashamed. WE ARE NOT SORRY. We are not weak-minded fools like those that turned their backs on our Dark Lord!"

The older man paused to draw breath, and Rabastan opened his mouth, but Rodolphus tightened his grip on Rab's collar, making it more difficult for him to breath or speak. "Save your breath, traitor. I don't want to hear it." Rodolphus shook his head in disbelief and was going to continue, but Rabastan jumped in quickly.

"Wouldn't you have done it, if it was your wife and children?" Rabastan demanded.

"Mine?" Rodolphus said, his eyes seeming to see things far away for a few moments before he refocused on his brother, his eyes once again burning with fury. "I would have done anything Bellatrix asked of me. But no one asked you to do this—I SAID DON'T TALK!" as Rabastan went to say something else.

"This sort of stupidity is why I came back from Azkaban," Rodolphus growled. "I know you, Rabastan. This is why I insisted on giving Rigel the proper training to be the Lestrange heir—something you missed out on. I also knew that you would be opposed to Delphi, and I came back to make sure you did right by her. You never were good to her."

"She wasn't your concern!" Rabastan snapped. "She would have been fine without you!"

Rodolphus' grip tightened so that Rabastan choked slightly. "You could never have trained her properly. Not even Nymphadora could handle her, and that was AFTER you tried making her 'behave.'"

"None of you could see clearly about her!" Rabastan shouted, struggling to push his brother off him. "She was a danger to all of us! She was always more of a hindrance than anything! We would have been better off without her and—you know, Rodolphus, if you hadn't come back to us, we wouldn't have to be bothered with your fucking prophecy!"

Rabastan let out a yelp as, after a moment, Rodolphus pushed him away so forcefully that he landed against the opposite wall, gasping for breath. "Rodolphus, what—"

"I really want to kill you," Rodolphus said coldly, making Rigel gasp in shock. "But then I thought about poor little Nymphie and her baby. What would she do without her careless, stubborn, misguided husband?"

Rabastan jumped up and was going to rush at his brother when Rigel jumped in between them. "Stop," he told them. "This isn't going to help anything. What's done is done. Can we go back to not speaking to each other?"

The two brothers scowled at each other, settling in opposite corners, each still infuriated. "This isn't over," Rabastan warned.

"It is," Rodolphus answered darkly. "I'm not bargaining with them: I won't talk."

"Suit yourself," snapped Rabastan. "There's a cell waiting with your name on it."

Rigel buried his face in his hands. What was happening to their family?

* * *

Andromeda sat on the floor of her and Dora's holding cell, the younger woman's head resting on her lap. Dora hadn't yet awaken from the sleeping spell the Aurors had done to her, and her own pain from the curse she'd received was mostly gone. She was furious that Rabastan had been so careless as to put Nymphadora and her unborn child in danger—even if he hadn't known.

She sighed, stroking Dora's stark white hair back from her face. Poor Nymphadora. Andromeda couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the witch look that terrified. Dora standing in front of them all begging them not to hurt her or her child-it made her furious to see Dora in such a state. She had a few things to say to the man if she ever saw him free again.

Dora jumped in her sleep, startling Andromeda, who frowned. Dora only ever jumped like that when she had nightmares as a child.

"Dora?" Andromeda said softly. "Dora, you need to wake up."

It took a few moments, but Dora startled awake with a frightened cry, Andromeda jumping back from her as her magic crackled. "Dora, you were having a bad dream," the woman said, but as Dora twisted to look at her, her eyes filled with tears.

"No," Dora sniffed. "It's real."

"Oh, Dora," Andromeda said, scooting closer to the young woman and wrapping her arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

"What was he thinking?" Nymphadora cried angrily, tears trickling down her cheeks. "He led Aurors to our _home_!"

"So...you're pregnant again?" Andromeda said quietly.

"Yes," Dora whispered, reaching out and clinging to the woman. "I've only known a short time—I found out the day Rab disappeared. He KNOWS what happened last time." And she was back to crying again.

"Well, I don't like that he didn't consult the rest of us first," Andromeda frowned. "Deciding to tell tales to the Ministry in exchange for freedom. I'm not convinced they won't throw us in Azkaban anyway. I hope Rodolphus gives Rabastan a good lecture about his foolishness."

"I—I can't go to Azkaban," Dora panicked. "What will happen to my baby?"

"I shouldn't have said that to you," Andromeda groaned. "I'm sure they'll take precautions—"

"No!" Dora cried. "No!"

"Shh," Andromeda said gently, hugging the younger woman carefully as she dissolved into hysterical tears.

"Rab will never see the child, and I won't have him there to help me," she wept. "And what will happen to Bella since Rigel's with his father and Rodolphus?"

"A young woman is taking care of her for now," Andromeda answered. "She assured me that Bella would be fine."

"She's probably so confused and upset," Dora breathed. "Dromeda—"

"Shh," Andromeda said. "Let's not worry—"

"Stop shushing me and _don't_ tell me not to worry," Dora snapped, her roots shooting red. "This is my family!"

"And mine," Andromeda answered evenly. "You're not alone in this mess, Dora. Rabastan has dragged us all into this."

Dora's eyes narrowed. "I want to scream at him."

"I'm sure you'll have enough of a chance later," came a voice, and the two witches looked up to see Aurors before their cell. "We're taking you to another room for questioning, and the others will be there."

"What about my daughter?" Nymphadora demanded, getting to her feet and facing them.

"She'll be there at first, but I don't think she should be," another answered, unlocking the door. "Come along, ladies."

This address made Andromeda laugh, though two Aurors took her away before she could even comment.

* * *

Rigel was still keeping watch between his father and uncle when the Aurors arrived to take them for questioning. Rodolphus glared malevolently at them when they approached the cell, though when they announced their intentions, Rabastan bounded up like a happy puppy waiting to be let outside.

Rigel got to his feet and walked to meet the Aurors with his father, leaving Rodolphus sitting in the far corner of the cell. Two of the Aurors entered the cell as Rabastan was taken from the room and Rigel watched as they marched Rodolphus from the cell.

"Go on," Potter waved the others on. "I'll be right there." He turned to Rigel, who stood straight, looking him in the eye. "We're going to collect your sister so that you all can be together at the questioning. Let's be quick."

"All right." Rigel followed Potter down the dark corridor and took the lift up another floor or two.

"Here," Potter said, opening the door to a room. "Lyra?"

Rigel's heart nearly stopped as he walked into the room and saw the girl that he'd been seeing for the last few weeks. He couldn't say a word when he saw her, knowing that she had never seen his real morph. He looked at his little sister, who looked worried.

"Rigel!" Bella cried, hurrying toward him and jumping into his arms. "What's happening?!"

"Bella," the young man murmured, hugging her for a moment before holding her away. "Dad's trying to get freedom for all of us, but he, Mum, Rod, and Andromeda are going for questioning right now. We've got to go join them."

She was going to say something else, but Rigel gave her a gentle but stern look, and she became quiet, leaning into his side. Lyra stepped forward. "What room are they going to?" she asked Potter. "I'll take them there so you can go on quickly."

Potter told her and left them there, Rigel extremely uncomfortable with Lyra. The young witch turned to him and smiled. "Rigel," she said gently. "I know you: I've known for a little while."

"Oh." Rigel blushed, and Bella looked up at him, then giggled.

"She told me she likes you," Bella tattled, a mischievous grin on her face. "I know you like her, and I approve."

"Bella!" Rigel sputtered in embarrassment.

Lyra laughed softly. "Well, thank you, Bella," she said, walking over to them. "It took a few weeks, but I finally realised why certain topics made you uncomfortable and why you didn't go to Hogwarts and all sorts of things like that."

Rigel nodded, looking away from her for a moment. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

"I understand," Lyra told him. "But I expect the truth now. And we should get moving."

"Okay," Rigel answered, and he and his sister hurried after the young witch.

She stopped right outside the door, and turned to Bella. "You know that your parents and the others are being held prisoner, so don't be surprised."

Bella nodded mutely, glancing at Rigel for reassurance. Lyra reached out and opened the door, leading the way into the room. "Bella," Dora breathed. "Rigel."

Rigel nodded to his mother firmly, Lyra gently placing her hand on his arm and guiding him and Bella to some chairs on the side.

"We were just about to start," Potter said to them.

"Don't mind us," Lyra said to him, the three taking their seats together.

Bella was looking around at her family, worried about what was happening to them. Rigel glanced at her, then murmured, "Please stay calm or they'll send us away.

The girl seemed to agree, and Rigel turned his attention back to the family. He could see his father's determination, his mother's concern, and Andromeda's apprehension. Rodolphus just glared at them all, silent even though he seemed very angry: he was also the only one still in chains.

Nymphadora looked up at her children while her husband was talking and said, "Bella should not be here."

"Asking your pardon, Mother," Rigel answered before Bella could protest, "but this is family history and she should be here."

Dora bit her lip, but nodded to Rigel since Rabastan had missed the entire exchange. Rodolphus looked directly at Rigel, and the young man seemed to get the idea that Rod was telling him not to be like his father.

They were questioning Andromeda now, wanting to know why she was with them. The witch looked straight at them and answered, "I have protected Nymphadora since Bellatrix left her to me, and Dora's family since she brought them to me. Why would I-how could I stand by and let her family be destroyed?"

"You're our family too," Dora scolded her. "I couldn't have raised Rigel and Delphi without you."

"Speaking of Delphini," Potter interrupted, and Rodolphus tensed, scowling at him, "I was told that you were the one who taught her magic?"

"Delphi is magic," Andromeda answered coldly. "I taught her nothing that she should not have learned at Hogwarts."

"You did not teach her to duel?"

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at the other Aurors. "I merely provided the tools," she began, but was interrupted.

"I taught her to duel." Everyone turned to Rodolphus, who glared right back at them all. "I practised with her endlessly and trained her to fight when everyone else told her that she was too young, that she wasn't ready." His eyes settled on his brother and Nymphadora. "They did not want her to grow into her place, and they did not remain faithful because they were afraid."

"I was not afraid," Rabastan snapped at his brother. "Delphi has always been a danger to us: you just refuse to see it!"

"You turned your back on us the instant the Battle of Hogwarts was over," Rodolphus sneered at him.

Rabastan growled back, "There was nothing left, Rodolphus! We had to try to rebuild our family!"

Rodolphus' face was lit with anger and accusation. "Nothing remains except to be _faithful_!" he shouted, making several of their captors jump. "You would be killed for this, Rabastan: you know that!"

"No Dark Lord," Rabastan shrugged, and Dora felt a chill go down her spine.

"And you fully intend to keep it that way," Rodolphus sneered. "Yes, I seem to remember you not wanting Delphi in the first place and hating her ever since. You have to work against them because your life is forfeit."

"Stop!" Dora cried pleadingly, tears on her cheeks once again. "He's done it for me and the children!"

Andromeda looked over at her with a blank expression on her face, and Rodolphus turned to Nymphadora also. "He did it for himself," Rodolphus growled. "He brought you to this place—shamed himself and you—and forced you to say things you never would have said. Your mother would be ashamed of you."

"That's not fair!" Dora cried out, obviously hurt by this comment. "This wasn't my choice!"

Andromeda shot a glare at the man. "Leave Nymphadora alone: this is Rabastan's folly."

Rabastan laughed in disbelief, but Rodolphus nodded. "Dora has always done what her husband asked of her," he said. "But she is better than this, Andromeda, and so are you."

"I'm staying with them," Andromeda told Rodolphus. "I'll be there to help them no matter what."

"Rodolphus," Dora breathed, "stay with us. I know you disapprove of how this has happened, and I can't say I'm happy about it either, but—"

"Do not ask it of me," Rodolphus answered, his tone softening slightly as he addressed her. "Perhaps you can justify such things—it isn't your fault, after all. But I can't do that. I do not regret my past, and given the chance, I would return to the Dark Lord."

Several of the others hissed and frowned at his words. "Straight back to Azkaban, eh?" said the Weasley.

"Yes." Rodolphus crossed his arms in a rattle of chains.

"Take him," Harry said, motioning two Aurors to him.

"No!" Dora cried in anguish.

"Don't cry," Rodolphus said sharply. "Get angry."

Nymphadora whirled on her husband as Rodolphus was led toward the door. "Look what you've done!" she shrieked at him. "Tried to save your family and split them up instead!"

Rabastan tried to answer her, but Andromeda shut him down with a sharp word. The three noticed a small commotion near the children, and saw Bella run out of the row and down to her uncle to throw her arms around him.

Rodolphus sighed and hugged the girl. "Must you go?" she whispered, ignoring the cold metal on his wrists.

"I cannot stay," he answered her softly, subtly kissing the top of her head. "Make us proud: earn your name, Bellatrix."

She hugged him tightly, but the second she let him go, the Aurors took him away. Bella turned around and looked at her father accusingly, though she had no time to speak because Rigel joined her quickly, the other girl at his side.

"We'll be going now," Rigel said. "I've seen enough." He looked at his father, a cold expression on his face. "In the words of Rodolphus, 'Behave, boy.'" Rigel turned and led the way out of the room, leaving his parents and Andromeda at the mercy of the Aurors and his father's stupidity.


	34. Fragile

**Thanks to everyone who has read this story so far, I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.**

 **Please read, enjoy and please do leave a review for this latest chapter!**

 **Bella**

* * *

Nymphadora was no longer listening. They kept on with their questions, their interrogation as they tried to get all of the information they could that would possibly help with their task to find and capture her sister. She had stopped listening long ago, barely registering the sound of her Aunt and husband giving them the information they required. Though Andromeda seemed to at least hesitate on occasion, she could not help but cringe as Rabastan seemed to give the information they desired so easily—perhaps he had already told them everything, she was sure they had. She stared blankly at the floor, twisting her grip on the arm of her wooden seat as she thought of Rodolphus. His own brother— _her own husband_ —had led to the man being thrown back to the depths of hell that was Azkaban prison. She wouldn't cry, she could not let herself, but she could get angry. She could feel a rage building in her that reminded herself of the rages she had witnessed her own mother fly into. But she remained silent, glaring at a spot on the floor in front of her and ignoring the occasional concerned glance her husband gave her.

"Mrs Lestrange," Potter called the woman's name, her dark eyes lifting to meet his own green pair though, "from what you've seen over the years would you consider Delphini to be dangerous?"

Nymphadora let out a scoff of laughter, "You're joking?"

"No," Potter shook his head, "I want your honest opinion of her."

She considered the man for a moment, painfully aware of the eyes upon her as she thought of what she would like to say to the boy that ensured the downfall of her mother and her safety all of those years ago. Though as she placed a hand on her stomach, her thumb stroking the fabric of her dress absentmindedly, she was reminded of the life she was carrying inside of her, of her children waiting for her to be safely released to her . . . she took a deep breath before she spoke again. "She is my sister," Nymphadora declared, "she is my mother's daughter through and through with the power and potential of her father. If you do not stop her I have no doubt she will find a way to succeed even if the mere attempt of it threatens her own existence. She hasn't killed, but she would, she's learned the unforgivables and had no need to use them, but she will. She will kill and torture and do anything it takes to reach her goal—I have no doubt if she was told my death would result in her success she would kill even me . . . but she is still my sister . . . she has a side to her that her father didn't have, a side that our mother had but no-one but those closest to her ever saw. She _can_ love when she wants to, she can feel emotional pain . . . but that won't stop her in her task . . . I think at the end of the day when you boil it all down she is an orphan—not unlike yourself—hurting over the loss of her parents and burning with a desire to see them come back to her. But she wants them back and nothing will stop her, there isn't a limit to what she would do . . . She'd see the world burn to reach her goal."

She never broke eye contact with Potter as she spoke, though as he gave a small nod of understanding she broke her gaze. She could see those around him, their faces pale at her words as a few squirmed or shivered at the idea of her own little sister. If the circumstances were different she would have smirked or laughed at the sight, but she restrained her instinct, instead looking back to the floor. She closed her eyes as she silently prayed that what Rodolphus said wasn't true, she hoped her mother would not be ashamed of her if she could see her now. But in truth, she could almost hear the woman's screams in her ear at the betrayal of her own flesh and blood. The Aurors spoke quietly between themselves for a few moments, their eyes flickering to the trio every few seconds as they seemingly decided their fate. It lasted barely a few minutes though it seemed like an age before Potter cleared his throat and addressed the lot.

"You can go," he said simply, "there are certain conditions to your release—" he paused a moment as Andromeda made a noise of annoyance, "—someone will fetch you momentarily to present you with this. Once this is done you will be escorted to a private fire where you can return to your home unseen. Do you have any questions?"

Rabastan looked up to the man, "I—"

"I want to see Rodolphus," Nymphadora interrupted, "I— . . ." she sighed, "can I see Rodolphus? Is he still here?"

"Why do you want to see him?" an Auror asked with a sneer.

"He is my brother-in-law and I've grown rather fond of him," Nymphadora bit back a glare, "I assume you're about to lock him up for the rest of his life and I highly doubt I'll be given visitors rights."

Potter paused for a moment before he gave a small nod, he looked to Rabastan "Will you want to say goodbye too?" Rabastan quickly gave a short shake of his head, clearly the man had either said all he had wanted to or had no desire to argue with the man again, Potter gave another nod and took a deep breath, "I'll take you, come on."

Nymphadora didn't hesitate, raising from her chair and walking straight by her husband without sparing him a single glance as she met Potter at the door. She was almost surprised that he did not call for support, either confident that the witch would not attempt to hurt him or still blinded by the naivety of his youth. Though Nymphadora knew better than to attempt to kill 'the boy who lived', his death would serve her no real purpose. Instead, she walked in silence, following the man down the corridors of the Ministry and ignoring the occasional stare she got from passing witches and wizards, not even reacting to the young witch who seemed as if she would faint at the sight of her. She didn't care anymore. Potter slowed as they reached the corridor of the man's holding cell, nodding to the two Aurors guarding his cell door silently instructing them to come to him. He paused a small distance from the cell.

"Give her five minutes and take her back to the others," Potter instructed them, though they did not seem pleased with his request they murmured their agreement nonetheless.

"Thank you . . ." Dora mumbled, almost to herself as the man walked away from them and she made her way to the cell.

Rodolphus didn't look up as she placed her hands on the bars, peering in to see the man sat glaring at the opposite wall as he sat with his back rested against the stone.

"Rod . . ." Dora murmured, sighing after he did not reply, "don't blame me for my husband's life choices."

"I can blame you for marrying an idiot," the man rolled his eyes after waiting a few moments to respond.

"Well, we all have faults in our marriages, don't we?" Dora smirked slightly as the man let out a small huff and looked to her.

"What do you want, Dora?" he asked, pulling himself to his feet as he addressed the woman.

"I—" Nymphadora thought for a moment, blinking back tears as she fought her emotions, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry this has happened, I'm sorry you're here. You shouldn't have to be."

"I am not selling Delphini for my freedom, Nymphadora," Rodolphus curled his lip as he snarled at the girl.

"I wouldn't expect you to," Dora shrugged, "I—I admit that I would rather you not be behind bars . . . but I respect your decision."

"Whereas you will sell out your own sister for freedom?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow.

"I have children, Rod!" Dora practically pleaded, "I can't leave them, I'm pregnant. I can't have a child behind bars. I—I didn't say anything they hadn't already heard or didn't already know. They asked me my opinion of her and that's the most I spoke . . . Mother went against what she believed in to protect me; she returned to a blood traitor and hid me from her family to keep me safe . . . I'd like to think she would understand why I can't tell them where to stick their questions and not nod along when they ask me to confirm things that they already know are true."

". . . . What did you say?" Rodolphus asked, looking the witch up and down as he seemed to calm slightly, "When they asked you your opinion of her, what did you say?"

Dora sighed, shaking her head "I told them she was her mother's daughter and that she would stop at nothing to succeed."

To her surprise Rodolphus let out a small huff of laughter, walking towards the girl before stopping mere inches from the cell door. He looked to her for a moment, the pair standing in silence for an uncomfortably long amount of time as he seemed to chew over his thoughts and the girl did not dare to interrupt his silence for some reason.

"Your mother," Rodolphus eventually said, "I cannot say for certain how she would react to your . . . talks of your sister to the enemy . . . but I think she understood more than anyone the sacrifices a mother will make and the lengths a mother would go to to protect her children. I daresay she would have turned her back on her sister if it was the only thing to keep her daughter safe . . . but I'm not sure she would turn her back on The Dark Lord for the same reason . . . perhaps . . . perhaps not . . ."

Nymphadora sniffed, nodding slightly as she looked away from the man. She was slightly surprised to feel a hand on her own, looking back to see Rodolphus so close to her as he placed his hand on top of hers. "Don't let Rabastan get away with this easily, Dora. Do not forgive him so quickly as you always do—You do," he said firmly as the girl went to protest, "you love him and I can't fault that—I let Bellatrix get away with far more than I should have for the same reasons. I know it didn't seem that way to you, but I did. He is the cause of this betrayal, he is the reason why you were attacked in your own home whilst carrying his child, why you've been dragged here and forced to speak against your own flesh and blood . . . You may eventually forgive it, but never forget it."

"I—" Nymphadora swallowed as the man squeezed her hand, looking into Rod's dark eyes as she gave a small nod, "Okay . . ."

He forced a small shadow of a smile for the slightest of moments before letting go of the girl's hand and stepping further back into his cell, "Make sure to tell my brother I personally will never forgive him . . . goodbye Nymphadora . . . good luck."

* * *

The list of the conditions of their release stretched over multiple pieces of parchment, covering everything from not leaving the manor for a month until their position was reviewed to not allowing Nymphadora to morph her features beyond recognition. Though few comments were made on the matter and in the end Rabastan, Nymphadora and Andromeda all signed without arguing. Rabastan kept glancing to his wife, his skin pale and his face showing his barely concealed concern but he knew better than to try and talk to her in front of the Aurors around them. When all was said and done they were escorted to a private fireplace, Nymphadora willingly going first to return to the manor.

"Mum!" Bella cried, a grin on her face as she jumped up from her seat on the sofa in the main living room next to her brother to throw herself into her mother's arms.

"Hello, beautiful," Dora smiled, burying her face in her daughter's hair as she held the girl close, ignoring the sound of Andromeda's heels on the floor as she stepped out of the fire before her.

"Be careful, Bella," Rigel said, standing from his seat as he walked over to his mother, "you shouldn't run at Mum like that."

"Why?" Bella pouted, letting her mother straighten up to give her brother a quick one-armed hug and kiss on the cheek though she still clung to her.

"She's fragile at the moment," Rigel said matter of factly.

"I assure you," Nymphadora raised an eyebrow at the boy, ignoring the sound of her husband's arrival, "I am anything but fragile."

"Is it because of the baby?" Bella asked curiously, "Rigel said you're having a baby, is it true?"

"Yes," Dora said, forcing a smile a reassuring smile at her daughter as she stroked her hair from her face, "maybe don't go running at me, okay?"

"Okay," Bella frowned, "but I'm still okay to hug you?"

"You're always okay to give your mother a hug," Dora smiled, kissing the girls head.

Bella nodded, though she stepped back from her mother to look at the other adults in the room, "Uncle Rod isn't coming back, is he?"

Dora winced at the disappointment in the little girl's voice, looking away from the child as she couldn't face her. She was almost grateful as she heard Andromeda's voice behind her.

"No, sweetheart," Andromeda sighed.

"I already explained this, Bella," Rigel said, shooting his father a glare.

"It's not fair though," Bella huffed.

"Sometimes life isn't fair, darling," Dora breathed, pausing for a moment before she shook her head and looked to her daughter, "Mummy's tired. I'm going to go lay down for a little while, okay?"

Bella nodded, giving her mother a gentle hug quickly before the woman walked away from her and left the room. Rabastan hesitated for barely a moment before he went to follow the woman.

"I wouldn't," Andromeda warned, the man stopping to look to her.

"She is my wife," Rabastan spoke firmly, holding back a glare at the woman, "my _pregnant wife_ , I need to talk to her."

"Father, she's pregnant therefore hormonal and you've just upset her, do you really think she wants to talk to you right now?" Rigel raised an eyebrow at the man.

"He has a very valid point," Andromeda mused, "I think he's right."

"I don't care what you think," Rabastan snapped, taking a calming breath only when he saw his daughter flinch at his clear anger, "she knows why I did this. She understands."

"That doesn't mean she likes it at all," Andromeda said, "in fact—"

"I am going to speak to my wife!" Rabastan interrupted, storming from the room before anyone else could try to convince him otherwise.

* * *

Nymphadora leant back against the hard wood of her bedroom door as soon as she closed it behind her, taking a deep breath she screwed her eyes shut to stop her tears. She tried to calm her emotions, placing a hand on her stomach subconsciously as she focused on steadying her breathing. It seemed like mere seconds had passed when a knock came on her door. She thought to ignore it, though the knock came again.

"I said I needed to lay down," Dora called out, not moving from the door.

"Dora . . ."

She winced at the sound of her husband's voice, walking away from the door she thought about locking it but decided against it.

"Can I come in?" he called out, his voice full of caution.

She caught her reflection in her dressing table mirror, her hair hung in long thick black curls, there was clear tiredness in her features and defeat in her eyes. She took another deep breath, composing herself and staring firmly at the door attempting to erase her emotion from her features as Rod's words passed through her mind.

"It's your room as well," she called, crossing her arms in front of her.

The door slowly opened after a moments hesitation, Rabastan stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. The couple stared at each other in silence, Nymphadora's stern glare boring into her husband as he tried to think of something to say to make the situation better. Nothing seemed like it could help.

"Dora . . ." Rabastan sighed, taking a step towards his wife though he stopped when she took a step back to keep her distance, "I— . . . I'm sorry, I didn't know you were pregnant if I did—"

"I see," Dora interrupted, raising her eyebrows at the man, "so if you knew I was pregnant with your child that would have made a difference in you selling out my sister and landing your brother in Azkaban."

"I did it for you," Rabastan spoke more firmly now, trying to get his wife to see reason, "I did it for the children. I—"

"You shouldn't have!" Dora snapped, her hair beginning to tinge red, "You shouldn't have gone running to the Ministry! What if they didn't let you go? What if they didn't _want_ to make a deal with you? What if they sold you lies of freedom and you led them back to us regardless? Your stupidity astounds me!"

"Dora," Rabastan shook his head, motioning towards the woman's stomach, "please calm down, you're stressing the baby—"

"I'm stressing the baby!?" Dora screeched, her hair now fully changed into wild red curls, " _I'm_ stressing the baby!? This is on _you!_ You know what happened last time the Ministry was at our door! Regardless of if you knew I was pregnant or not why would you put me through that again!? Why would you risk our children? I was going to tell you! I was going to tell you the day that you left and then you left me worried sick! I thought you'd died or been captured or had ran to avoid it! Here I was defending you to Rodolphus and Andromeda, arguing the fact that I wasn't about to change the wards to keep you out—" Dora took a breath, shaking her head as tears spilt from her dark eyes, "maybe I should have."

"Dora, I did this for you, for the children. We're free now, Bella can go to Hogwarts just like you wanted, Rigel doesn't have to leave us for good, this new child doesn't have to live in fear or the shadows of our past. We can be a proper family." Rabastan walked closer to his wife, pleased when she did not step away from him again though as he went to reach out for her she yelled at him and he paused again.

"Don't touch me!" She hissed, narrowing her eyes at the man, "You put our family at risk, you got Rodolphus sent to Azkaban, you made me sell out my own sister. Rodolphus is right, my mother _would_ be ashamed of me. If she could see me now—" Dora bit her lip, swatting away her tears angrily before glaring at the man again, "She'd torture you to insanity! In fact, you should be grateful I just signed a contract specifically stipulating that I can't use the Cruciatus or I swear to Merlin Rabastan Lestrange you'd be screaming on the floor right now!"

"So hit me," Rabastan said simply, "hit me if it makes you feel better."

"Don't tempt me," Dora hissed.

"If it makes you feel better, just do it," Rabastan said, "But just know that—as much as it doesn't seem like it right now—I did this for you. I love you, Dora. So when I see you getting upset about the way our children have had to be brought up, having to worry about you every time you leave this place and just knowing that one day when you go out you probably won't be able to come back again . . . I can't couldn't do it anymore. I saw a way to fix it so I did it . . . I know you're not happy with the way this has happened, but this was the only way."

"Rab . . ." Dora sighed, looking to her husband with tears in her eyes, "you must have known Rodolphus would never have given in . . . and Delphini . . . She could have brought them back. You could have stopped her being able to bring them back!"

"And what would have happened if she did bring them back Dora?" Rab asked, "Can you honestly say you would be happy going back to serving The Dark Lord? Besides, you said it yourself, if she changed the timeline that could risk Bella's existence—do you want to risk that?"

"That's not fair," Dora breathed, "you should have at least talked to me first . . ."

"I couldn't," Rabastan sighed, giving a slightly sad smile as his wife let him place his hand on her arm, "I had to act quickly and I couldn't risk you stopping me . . . it's for the best, Dora."

"No," Dora shook her head, shaking off her husband's arm after a moment's thought "you don't get to choose what is right for us. Especially when that means your brother in Azkaban and selling my sister out to head the same way!"

"She wouldn't have succeeded, Dora, she—"

"You don't know that!" Dora snapped, "You didn't give her a chance. I would have been happy to serve The Dark Lord again—I would have been happy for the slight chance of seeing my mother again. But what happens if she still succeeds? Have you even thought about that? What happens if she succeeds and finds out what you have done—what Andromeda and I have now had to do. You've cursed us."

"I have done all I can to try to protect you!" Rabastan argued, "To protect the children!"

"Rigel won't thank you for this," Dora scoffed, "I think he's made that rather clear."

"He doesn't understand," Rabastan said, "he doesn't know what it was like nor understand what could happen."

"He isn't a child anymore," Dora said, "he understands more than you think. Right now all he sees in you is a man who turned his back on his beliefs, caused his pregnant mother to get knocked out in her own home and had us dragged to the Ministry."

"That's not fair," Rabastan insisted, "Dora, you have to understand. I did this because I love you, because I care for you."

Dora shook her head, taking one last look at the man before she walked over to her bed and sat down. "I said I needed to lay down," Dora spoke calmly, her face an emotionless mask as she pulled off her shoes barely bothering to acknowledge the man with her gaze, "I suggest you leave me alone for a while."

"Dora—"

"Go," she commanded, "you've already told me to calm down for the baby's sake. Leave me alone to do so."

Rabastan stared at his wife, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to think of what to say. Though as she lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and pulling the duvet over her as she did not even bother to change into a nightdress he knew it was useless for now.

"I love you . . ." Rabastan murmured, not waiting for nor expecting a response before he left the room. He quickly closed the door behind him, ignoring the sound of his wife beginning to sob again and the pain it caused him.


	35. To Carry On

**Heart. Is. Broken.**

 **I love Rodolphus XD**

 **Dora**

* * *

Bella approached her brother in the library of their home, clearing her throat softly. He looked up and motioned her to come sit by him, asking, "What is it, Belle?"

"Mum's really angry, isn't she?" Bella sighed, shaking her head. "I just saw them arguing again, but when they saw me, they stopped and pretended it was all right. I'm _not_ a baby; I know Mum's not happy. None of us are."

"Well, Father put us all in danger," Rigel said with a frown. "Especially mother and the baby. And he got Rodolphus sent back to prison. He didn't stop to think that the Ministry could have lied to him and sent everyone to Azkaban, leaving you and me alone."

Bella rolled her eyes. "That's what they're been fighting over since everyone was released," she said.

"So what are you asking me?" Rigel mused, looking at his sister carefully. "If you know how everyone feels about this?"

"How long are they going to argue?" Bella groaned, putting her head in her hands.

"I don't know," Rigel answered truthfully. "They're both extremely stubborn, and could argue for months."

The girl huffed in annoyance. "It's stressful," she complained.

Rigel laughed at this. "Well, think of how mother must feel, then," he told her. "We've just got to wait out the storm."

* * *

Delphini Riddle paced the floor of her tiny holding cell at the Ministry of Magic, her eyes darting all around the place, ignoring the Aurors watching her every move. Apparently she wasn't to be trusted.

A small smirk crossed her face as she paused in her pacing and regarded the closest two Aurors thoughtfully. She had been taken to the memory wizards to pull some of her memories and learn of her past as well as what she'd been doing since she'd left Black Manor. Her defiance of the Aurors escorting her had earned her two or three Curses, something she was nearly certain that Potter did not know of, unless the boy was slightly less angelic than he proclaimed himself to be. She didn't really feel the Curses, as she was used to far worse from her training. It had been far more painful for them to make her relive her memories as she struggled to keep them out of her mind. She had resorted to cursing in Parseltongue as she tried to hold on, and quickly learned that her memories were no longer understandable to the memory wizards if she spoke Parseltongue. They had quickly given up after that.

Delphi stalked over to the bars, grabbing them and grinning out at the two she'd been watching. "Have any last words?" she said to them, her eyes alive with mischief.

"This is your ending, not ours," the one guarding the door shrugged.

"No fun," Delphi pouted at them, letting go of the bars. Without hesitating, she brought both hands up with a blast of magic and the two she'd been eyeing fell to the floor. "Who wants to be next?" she giggled as the others yelled in shock and rage.

"Ward her cell!" the senior Auror snapped as the girl danced out of the way of his spells, retaliating with her wandless magic.

Delphi huffed and crossed her arms when the ward went up, though she watched to make sure they weren't going to curse her. "Boring," she sing-songed, tapping her foot.

"We should just kill her," one of the men said, glaring at her in fury before he looked down at one of his fallen comrades.

"Well, I _asked_ Potter if he would please kill me and he wouldn't," Delphi said, rolling her eyes. "His brat wanted to, though." She laughed at the thought.

"Go let Potter know we'll have to use magical restraints to get her out of here," the senior Auror barked at one of the others.

Delphi hummed in amusement and turned away from them, thinking of the past few days. She just couldn't get away from the memory of cursing one of the boys she'd tricked into helping her and hearing him say, "Well, maybe this is the test." She gave a scoff of laughter, thinking of the little Malfoy boy she'd met. She was sure that her mother would not even consider him her cousin, but it amused her to think that he suffered at her hands due to his family's rebellion and failure to remain faithful to her father.

She resumed her pacing around her cell until Potter came back with more Aurors. She went directly to the door of her cell and stared out at him intently. The man watched her for a few moments, then said, "The good news is, for the second time in my life, I no longer speak Parseltongue. Stun her."

The witch glared at them, but stood still and took two Stunning Spells directly to the chest. She woke up minutes later, a slight ache in her body but unhurt as she was pulled to her feet unceremoniously by two men. Delphi felt the magical restraints and grated at the indignity, but she said nothing, though she was vaguely curious as to whether she was about to be paraded through the Ministry Atrium.

Delphi was both relieved and disappointed that she was discretely taken from the Ministry and escorted to the prison boats. None of them spoke on the ride over, but all of them were greeted by the keeper of the keys.

"What have we got here?" the man said, peering at Delphini. "Welcome, girl."

She did not answer him as Potter motioned them to follow him and the keeper. "You have a cell chosen for her?" Potter asked him.

The man smirked. "Well," he said, "I thought we'd let the Heir of the Dark Lord choose her own tower." He turned to Delphi as they paused at the base of one of the staircases. "Perhaps you would like your mother's old cell up in the south tower...or a cold, dark cell in the west tower?"

Delphi looked away from him, and the keeper shrugged. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "Rodolphus Lestrange always talks about you in his sleep, you and Bellatrix. Perhaps you ought to keep him company."

She stared at the keeper. "What did you say?" she said in shock. "Rodolphus is here?"

"The Lestranges came forward with information regarding the past wars, and you," Potter told her simply. "He refused to make a deal with us, and acted nearly in the same way you just did."

"Dora wouldn't," Delphi breathed, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the Boy-Who-Lived. "She wouldn't do that to a sister."

"Her husband basically forced it on her and the rest of them, if they wanted to remain free," one of the Aurors holding her said. "He came to us asking to make a deal, then led us to his family. His brother simply didn't want to play along."

"Rodolphus has always been faithful," Delphi said, looking away as one of the prisoners yelled, setting off a cacophony of sounds in the prison.

"He isn't going to live much longer," the keeper confided to her and Potter. "He has refused to eat since he arrived here two weeks ago and has also become very ill. I don't think he'll last the week."

Delphi's heart pounded in her chest at these words, and she said, "May I see him? I don't care where I stay."

Potter gave her a searching look, then nodded. "Let's go," he said to the keeper.

Delphi climbed the stairs, feeling as if she was living someone else's life entirely. She wondered how Rodolphus had felt when he'd come back to this place for the fourth or fifth time. She was led to a small, dark corridor, and they stopped. She could hardly see into the cell, but this was not a problem as the keeper opened the door for her and shone a light into the cell.

"Leave me alone," came a weak, raspy voice from the back of the cell. A coughing fit followed this statement.

Delphi was pushed into the cell, but she caught her balance and hurried forward, stopping as she approached the man. "Rodolphus," she breathed, kneeling at his side. She could tell he was very weak as he barely moved his head to look at her, but she knew the look in his eyes. "Shh," she said as he went to speak, "what's done is done."

Rodolphus reached out and gripped her arm with surprising strength. "I was faithful."

"I don't doubt it," Delphi answered, reaching out to help support him as he began to cough again. When he was still once again, she looked around, blinking in the bright light as she said, "May I stay with him until he is finally free? I ask nothing else."

"Well," Potter began, then stopped, frowning at them. He thought for a few moments, then said, "I see no reason why not, especially if he isn't expected to live much longer.

"He refused treatment for his illness," the keeper said, shaking his head. "He wants to die."

Potter entered the cell, Delphi glaring at him as he approached them. "Your wrists," he said to her. "So the restraints can be removed. Don't try anything stupid."

Delphi held out her left wrist with a sigh. "You're one to talk, Potter." She held out the other wrist after a moment, then returned to looking down at Rodolphus' face.

He was watching her face too, studying her for some reason. They ignored the cell door clanging shut and the key being turned in the lock. After the dark had settled in, Rodolphus murmured, "Your hair is black, Delphi...is that on purpose?"

"No, but it's fine," she muttered.

"Don't worry about me," he breathed.

"You shouldn't be here," Delphi said in suppressed anger. "You're a good person; you don't belong in this place."

A crazed grin crossed his face. "The world disagrees," he said. "But no matter. It'll be over soon." Her face was blank, but he squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Delphi."

Her expression darkened. "It's not okay," she hissed between her teeth. "You believed in me; you _trained_ me when everyone else refused. You didn't hate me even though I wasn't yours...Merlin knows why, but you cared."

She looked away, and he shifted his position, both of them moving to lean against the wall, Delphi still holding onto his hand. "No one knows our hearts and minds except those closest to us," he said, struggling to breathe after moving. "I left you alone out of duty, but when I went to Black Manor, I found that you're just as endearing as your mother."

Delphi laughed, but it was a broken laugh, and Rodolphus reached out, pulling her closer as she buried her face in his shoulder. "It shouldn't be like this," she sniffed, and he sighed, the young witch hearing the illness in his lungs and chest. "You deserve good things, Rodolphus; I know you never got what you wanted most in life."

"We needn't talk about what should have been," he murmured, his eyes clouding as he squeezed her slightly. "I may not have had biological children, but I've had as good as. _I_ trained Rigel to be the Lestrange heir, didn't I? And you...well, I think we're pretty close. We fight like family."

"We do," Delphi sniffed with a weak smile, then huffed impatiently, looking up and dashing away a tear. "Damn you, you're going to make me cry."

"I don't mind," Rodolphus said. "No one will see."

"It's weakness," the witch protested, drying her eyes on her sleeve.

Rodolphus slipped his arm around her again and murmured, "It's being strong for too long. Your mother hated crying too, but she would sometimes, and I would hold her, just like this."

Delphi gave a small laugh. "Just like this, hmm?"

He poked her in the ribs and she yelped slightly, but didn't move in case she were to hurt him. He seemed to take a shallow breath, and she looked up at him in alarm, seeing his eyes flickering, a smirk half frozen on his face. "Rodolphus?" she breathed in a panic.

"D—Delphi," he struggled to speak, the girl immediately cradling him in her arms as tears sprang to her eyes. "I—"

"No, no," Delphi whispered, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Please, not yet."

"Love you," Rodolphus managed to say, looking into her eyes. "I'm free."

"I love you too," Delphi choked, completely unprepared for the moment. "Rodolphus—" But he was already gone, falling limp in her arms, his kind eyes looking right at her.

Delphini Riddle's shriek of anguish echoed throughout the cells and corridors of Azkaban prison before she curled up, clutching the body of the only person who had loved her for everything that she truly was.

* * *

In spite of the peaceful quiet of Black Manor, its residents all knew that it was not what it seemed. No one spoke to each other much, and even little Bella was more quiet than usual, unsure of how to act around her parents.

The girl was seated next to Andromeda at breakfast one morning, all of them waiting for Nymphadora to join them. Rabastan had come to the table with a look of annoyance on his face and told them that Dora had said to start without her. Andromeda had raised an eyebrow at the man and summoned their breakfast to them, wondering how bad the fight this morning had been.

Dora arrived about halfway through the meal, perfectly presentable so that Andromeda just wanted to sigh and shake her head at the witch. She took a seat next to her husband, unsettlingly proper as she greeted them all politely. It was not until she saw the paper that she dropped the pretences and grabbed it, reading it in shock as her hair shot red.

Rabastan looked over at her in alarm, and his wife jumped to her feet, staring at him in fury as she crumpled the paper in her fist. "THIS IS WHAT I MEAN!" she shrieked at him. "RODOLPHUS DIED LAST NIGHT! What do you have to say for yourself?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but she waved a hand at him. "Shut the fuck up," she snapped at him. "I don't want to hear what you have to say."

Rigel had a half-smirk and half-shocked expression on his face as he watched in amusement and horror at what his mother had just said. Bella had clapped her hand over her mouth and cried out in horror. Andromeda stared at Nymphadora, her mouth slightly open as the younger witch hurled the paper across the room, parchment flying everywhere.

"Careful, Mum, you might be unrecognisable," Rigel smirked.

She turned her expression of fury on him, though she immediately smiled at her son and sighed, "Oh, dear, I might get sent to Azkaban and die." Nymphadora turned back to her husband, her anger returning. "But this piece of shit wouldn't care!" she half shrieked, her eyes wide as she glared at him. "You didn't think twice about any of us! You just didn't want to be trapped in hiding for the rest of your life while the children went on without us!"

Andromeda cleared her throat, but Nymphadora ignored her, and the witch interrupted as the couple went to argue again. "If you're going to fight, you should leave," Andromeda told them.

" _If_?" the children chorused at the same time, sharing a look of amusement. Bella looked up at her mother and father and added, "It's too late; just go on."

"I'm told it's always entertaining when a Black and a Lestrange fight," Rigel chuckled, catching his father's astonished expression at their behaviour.

"You got Rodolphus killed," Bella said, tears springing to her eyes as she said it to her own father.

"No, Bella," her father began, but Rigel interrupted this time, seeing his mother grip the back of her chair as she took some deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"You did," Rigel said firmly. "He was far more loyal to Delphi and her father than you and Mum. You had to have known he would disagree—"

"He chose it," Rabastan snapped. "He should have behaved himself."

Nymphadora scowled at him, tears coming to her eyes as she saw her daughter crying as well. "He's not a coward!" she cried. "Rodolphus followed the Dark Lord out of pride rather than fear. You shouldn't have caused such a choice to be put before him! Family shouldn't do that to each other. We're not more important than any other member of the family, Rab. You can't let one be destroyed for the sake of the rest. It's wrong. You fucked up."

The witch fled from the dining room, slamming the door behind her as she ran. The children continued to watch their father, though as he moved to follow his wife, Andromeda got to her feet. "Leave her alone," she said sharply.

Rabastan glared at her. "She is my wife and I will talk to her," he hissed.

"Yes, as if all the talking you've done so far has helped her," Andromeda scoffed. "I swear, Rabastan Lestrange, if you try to follow her, I will curse you. I will talk to her."

"And tell her what?" he laughed. "That I'm an idiot?"

"Yes," Andromeda answered, both the children raising their eyebrows at this. "She's got to be reminded why she shouldn't be holding a grudge, in spite of your foolishness. And she'll need you eventually anyway, but you obviously can't talk to her without this sort of a reaction from her, so it'll have to be me that convinces her."

Rigel slipped his arm around his sister, who was crying softly, and said, "Well, you should be off, then. It may take a while to convince her."

Rabastan still looked as if he wasn't going to let Andromeda through the door, and she sighed. "You can be angry all you want, Lestrange," she said to him. "But I am not pleased with your behaviour, either. I'm just not duty-bound to follow the Dark Lord."

The witch rested her hand on the door handle for a moment, then looked back at Rabastan. "Why don't you go think about your dead brother for a while, may he rest in peace. He was a far better man than you'll _ever_ be." Andromeda opened the door and said, "Bellatrix was right about you: she was always right." Before he could reply, she shut the door quickly and disappeared down the hall in search of her once-daughter.

* * *

Andromeda was only slightly surprised to find Nymphadora in her own room, curled up on her bed. She walked in and shut the door quietly, approaching the girl and sitting down next to her, beginning to rub her back as she had when Dora had been a small child.

It was only a few moments until Dora cried, "Why is he such an idiot? I don't understand!" A sob escaped her and she clutched the pillow to herself, sniffing, "Mum was right, Dromeda. She told me he was no good—she always seemed to be able to judge people. I should have listened to her."

The younger witch's body trembled with her emotions as she continued, "He's torn our family apart—Rodolphus is gone..." Dora placed her hand over her mouth, fighting her emotions until Andromeda reached out and pulled the girl to lean into her side, cradling the sorrowing witch. "He didn't deserve to die," Dora wept. "He didn't betray us; he didn't do anything except stay _loyal_." She clenched both of her fists in rage, her hair renewing its fiery red. "They should have kept Rabastan and not let him come back," she hissed. "If he wanted to throw a life away, he could have given his own. _That_ 's what a man should do for his family. _Not_ sacrifice his brother." Nymphadora's tears renewed at her own words and Andromeda hugged her carefully, still not saying a word.

"I can't even begin to think of what to do about the children's attitude toward Rab," Dora sniffed, trying to wipe her tears away after a while later. "Rigel...he has no respect anymore..."

"Well, that's his father's problem, isn't it?" Andromeda said quietly. "He leads the family: he suffers the results of his decisions. I know Bella isn't happy either: she's tried to talk to me about it, but...I didn't think it was wise. I told her to talk to Rigel."

"That's why they seemed to be on the same page this morning," Dora half giggled through her tears. "No, neither of them is pleased with our circumstances. I can't expect Rigel to be fully reconciled to his father: Rigel looked up to Rodolphus and had since he was a small boy."

Nymphadora scowled at a portrait looking at her in concern. "Personally, I want to Crucio Rabastan every time I see him," she growled, feeling Andromeda take hold of one of her hands. "But...I can't leave the children to you and him." She lifted her head and looked right at Andromeda. "If I didn't have to worry about my unborn child," she breathed, "I probably wouldn't be here still. I'd be _loyal_ , like we all should have been."

She hummed thoughtfully, then grinned wickedly. "I could still give Rigel custody of his sister," she mused.

"You could," Andromeda said. "Though it may split your family even more."

"What would you suggest?" Dora sniffed, sitting up and dashing away her tears.

"You do not want to hear what I must suggest," Andromeda answered simply. "What none of us want and all of us know must be done."

Dora looked at Andromeda hopefully. "Can I disown him?"

Andromeda smirked. "You can do anything you want, but the question you need to ask yourself is 'should I do this?'"

The younger witch huffed. "You want me to crawl back to him and tell him he's right for _betraying_ all of us to our enemies, just because I married the fucker. I don't need any more shit from him, Andromeda."

"When have I ever suggested that you passively suffer at his hands?" Andromeda asked her sharply. "I understand he is not a simple man and I would not ask you to 'crawl' to anyone. Not even your husband."

"I can't do it," Dora said, then burst into tears again. "I don't want to have to face him every day knowing what he's done."

"You don't have to be okay with his actions," Andromeda told her quietly. "You don't have to agree with what he's done. But it has been a couple weeks...it needs to be laid to rest—not forgotten, of course. I don't expect any of us will forget this."

Dora was shaking her head. "I won't. He can't get away with this. I don't know why—why I thought he—"

Andromeda grasped the younger woman's hand and Dora looked up at her, tears trickling down her cheeks. "You love him," she said simply. "You decided there was something in him worth caring about, Dora, because you did marry him. You considered him worthy of sharing your life."

"Yes," Dora cried bitterly, "I did."

"He'll have to help you with the new baby," Andromeda said softly. "You can set this aside for the child...tell Rabastan that you can't talk about what's happened, but that it's in the past. You're going to need him, Dora, even though you don't want to admit it."

"I don't even like him," she grumbled, tears splashing down her cheeks.

"Of course," Andromeda agreed, slipping her arm around the girl again. "You know, even if we never talk about this again and go on as normal, Rabastan will still suffer the consequences of his actions from the restrictions on the family and the ridicule of his children."

"Yeah," Dora rolled her eyes, then brushed her sleeve across her face. "I don't ever want to think about this...Rodolphus, my sister...it's all gone...there's nothing left."

Andromeda sighed and nodded. "All that's left is to move forward since the past has been destroyed."

Nymphadora scowled. "I'm not going to make this easy for him," she muttered. "But maybe I'll be partially civil."

The older witch smiled. "If you were any more like your mother, you'd frighten me," she told the now mousey-brown-haired woman. "That was quite a rage you had."

"Ha," Nymphadora scoffed, "I've done far worse."

"I don't doubt it," Andromeda mused, "though I doubt your children have seen as much."

"Oh no," Dora groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Bella. She saw me scream at her father..."

"We'll deal with it if it turns out to be a problem," Andromeda laughed. "I said some things in front of her as well, so it's not as if you alone are to blame."

"What did you say to him?" Nymphadora said in shock, staring at her once mother.

"Perhaps you should ask him," she mused, "when you talk to him later."

Nymphadora rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me," she said. "Thanks for standing up for me, though."

"Always," Andromeda said, squeezing the girl. "Come talk to me if you need anything else."

"I will," Dora nodded, and looked up at the door of the room with a sigh.


	36. New Life

**Sooooo this is the last chapter for a little while! The last chapter I suppose, with just an epilogue to go. I'm off to see Dora in America in a couple of days so can't promise any update until I'm back, but this is officially my last chapter of this story! Mad to think that we started with The Purest Black in August 2016, with all the writing we've done and two trips across the world to see each other since then. haha Like I said, Dora will be doing an epilogue soon but please feel free to check out our other story Valley of the Shadow and keep your eyes peeled for new stories in the future!**

 **As always, please read, enjoy and please do leave a review :D**

 **Bella a.k.a The Purple Black**

* * *

Nymphadora sat on the edge of her bed, taking a deep breath as she looked to the door of the room. She had been left alone for at least an hour and was beginning to become concerned that Andromeda, or her son for that matter, had taken to cursing her husband despite everything. It had become unusual for the man to leave her alone for too long before he regained his near constant argument for her to stop her anger towards him. Though she eventually heard footsteps walking towards her room, felt the presence pause outside of the locked room. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to compose herself before she eventually stood and with a simple flick of her wrist the door unlocked itself. There was a slight pause before the handle turned. Rabastan didn't say anything as he looked to his wife, the woman giving him a small gesture to enter the room and close the door.

"Dora—" Rabastan went to speak, though stopped as his wife raised her hand.

"I'm done," Dora shook her head, "I can't do it anymore."

"You're leaving me?" Rabastan's voice was weak, frowning in both fear and hurt.

Dora merely rolled her eyes, "No," she said, "I'm a Black, we don't run from our problems even if we're otherwise doomed to spend the rest of our lives stuck to them."

"I'm sorry . . ." Rabastan sighed, "I . . . I just wanted you safe. I wanted everyone safe and now . . . Rodolphus . . ."

Nymphadora considered the man for a moment, her dark eyes boring into his pitiful woeful expression, she couldn't help it as her heart panged at seeing the man suffer despite all that he had done. Though as she caught sight of herself in the mirror from the corner of her eye, her black curls trailing past her shoulders, she was reminded of something.

"Do you expect me to feel sorry for you?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "Sorry that your brother is dead?"

"No," Rabastan shook his head, looking to his wife as he forced the frown from his face, "I just . . . I didn't intend for this to happen. He . . . He still is—was my brother."

"It's hard to lose a family member," Dora mused, "especially one so close to you, it's important to have your remaining family around you to comfort and support you . . . Do you remember how you acted when my Mother died? You cursed me. You wouldn't hold me. If I remember correctly you told me you would hurt me if I bothered you as I lay in bed with you that night when I asked you to hold me. I spent the night on Andromeda's couch."

"I was wrong, I was simply angry and hurt and confused. That was wrong." Rabastan said firmly, "I apologised for that later on, I tried to make up for it."

"I know you did," Nymphadora said, "but I forgave you for that long before you apologised. I put up with it because I loved you . . . I still do. But some things simply can't be forgiven. Do you know what the last conversation I had with my alone with my mother was before we left for Hogwarts? As we resigned ourselves to the fact that we may not have been able to both survive?" She waited for Rabastan to shake his head slightly before she carried on, unable to keep the slight glare from her features, "She made me promise that I would keep the children safe. That if anything happened to her I would make sure Delphi was protected, that she had the same privilege that I had when she sent me to safety as a child. She made me promise that I would do anything I could do to keep her safe . . . and instead, her downfall was largely helped by my own husband. I couldn't protect her in the end, could I?"

"Dora," Rabastan stepped forward to reach for his wife, stopping as the woman flinched away from him, "Dora, it's not your fault."

"I know it's not," Dora let out a small huff of laughter, "it's _your fault_. The man my Mother warned me against. The man I love. The man that is supposed to protect his family no matter what, yet instead he near enough turns the key on the in the cell in Azkaban of two of them. So, tell me something?"

"Anything," Rabastan spoke without hesitation.

" _Why_ do I still love you? Why do I still care?" Dora asked, "I should curse you. I believe I would if it weren't for our unborn child—or for little Bella or Rigel. I would send myself to Azkaban just to spite you."

"Please, Dora—"

"I'm not going to," Dora said, "but this is it. We're done arguing this. We're going to move on. We're not going to fight, we're going to show a loving front in front of the children, we're going to live our lives and carry on. I—" she swallowed hard and blinked back tears despite herself, "I can't do this anymore. I just . . . I want things to go back to the way they were before . . . but I don't know if they ever will."

"They will," Rabastan walked forward, relieved as the woman didn't flinch away from him this time even as he took her hands in her own, "I'll do anything, Dora. I'll fix this."

"You can't," Dora scoffed, "you can't bring Rodolphus back and you can't free Delphi. We have to learn to live with this . . . You know, what hurts the most . . . you didn't think to talk to me. To discuss it with me and even attempt to see if there was a way I would agree or find a different solution."

Rabastan took a breath, he had thought of talking to his wife. But he knew better than to try. He knew that though she had her own fears of if Delphi had succeeded in her plan she was still loyal, maybe not fully to The Dark Lord anymore but she still held love for her Mother and would not agree to any plan if it put Bella's youngest daughter in harm's way. But this wasn't the time to argue, he gave a small sad nod. "I know, I'm sorry," he breathed, letting go of one of her hands so that he could reach up and wipe the single stray tear from the woman's cheek. Nymphadora stared at him for a moment, looking deeply into his eyes with her lips slightly parted, he was sure she was battling the urge to throw herself into his arms and try to gain comfort in each other's sorrow at that moment. But she recovered herself quickly, stepping back with a small sniff she cleared her face of emotion and held her head high.

"This child," Nymphadora said, placing a hand on her stomach, "there will be no arguments this time."

"What do you mean?" Rabastan asked, furrowing his brow in his slight confusion.

"If it is a boy . . . his middle name will be Rodolphus," Nymphadora said firmly, she had not expected the man to protest and was unsurprised when he nodded in agreement with the slightest of smiles, "if it's a girl . . . her middle name _will_ be Andromeda. I will not change my mind and I will not be told otherwise like last time. That woman has done far more for our family than you will ever accept or even realise. Understood?"

Nymphadora could see the man fighting his urge to protest, could see the argument about to happen, then the man sighed, giving a small nod as he quietly said, "Whatever makes you happy."

"Good . . ." Dora said, "now, I best go see to Bella. Assure her that Mummy isn't about to murder Daddy and that everything is okay."

She gave the man a nod before she walked to the door, though as she reached out for the handle she heard the man quietly call her name and she turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Will you ever forgive me?" Rabastan asked hesitantly, "Truly forgive me?"

Dora considered him for a moment, thinking for a moment before she smiled sadly, "I hope so," was all she could manage to say before she left the room, leaving her husband to his own thoughts.

* * *

It had taken a while to convince them, but after months of writing letters and an awkward meeting at Black Manor, at seven months pregnant Nymphadora Lestrange had arrived at Azkaban prison. The cold hit her the moment she arrived with Harry Potter at her side, causing her to pause for a moment and take a deep breath. Harry looked towards her, taking in her appearance before he looked ahead towards the cells.

"We can reschedule," Potter said flatly, "wait until after . . ."

Dora shook her head, she knew that once she had convinced the man to let her come here his final protest had been the fact that she was pregnant. She didn't care. She was determined to do what she had set to.

"Where is she?" Dora asked stiffly.

Harry looked to her again for a moment before he nodded forwards and began to walk, the witch trailing behind him slightly as she tried not to pay attention to her surroundings too much. She had heard stories of this place, from both her husband and her late mother, and though she knew that it was better now without the soul-destroying presence of the dementors she couldn't imagine the place much worse than it currently was. The walls were old, a cold stone brick damp with the cold day's air, mould sprouting in the corners as if they were slowly trying to devour the walls. She concentrated on the sound of her slight heel on the stone floor, paying close attention to putting one foot in front of the other as she was determined not to show any emotion in front of her once enemy. She barely registered the man telling her to watch her step as they approached the twisting steps of the tower she knew her sister now called home. As they reached the top of the stairs she was confronted by a large barred gate. Nymphadora forced herself not to show the exhaustion of climbing so many stairs as Potter turned towards her momentarily before drawing his wand and running it along the cool metal, muttering some inaudible spell before he pushed the gate open.

He paused, looking to the older witch, "I don't think she'd like to see me."

"I doubt she'd like to see me either," Dora couldn't help but huff before she shook her head, "where is she?"

"Down the end, straight ahead," Harry said, "you go on, I'll be right behind you . . . out of sight. Yell if you need me."

"Scared of her?" Dora raised an eyebrow, "I don't blame you, really."

The man shook his head, though Dora wasn't paying attention. She had already walked on ready to see her sister. As she reached the last few feet before the cell she paused to take a deep breath, tucking her dark curls behind her ears before she took the last few steps. Delphini Riddle was laid on the straw flooring, her were closed, her once pristine blue tipped silver hair tangled and dirty around her and her robes already tattered and dirty. Nymphadora bit her lip, almost regretting her decision to come, she considered stepping away and leaving the girl to her misery.

"How can I help you?" the younger witch groaned, not opening her eyes as her fingers stretched out amongst the straw, "I told your pal to piss off."

"I didn't think I had 'pals' here . . ." Dora breathed.

Delphini's eyes snapped open as she froze in place, still not looking at the girl, "Get arrested, did we?"

"No . . ." Dora practically whispered, trying to keep check on her emotions.

Delphi shook her head, "Of course not . . ." after a moment's pause she sat up, picking some of the straw out of her hair, "Come to gloat? Come to poke fun at me? I—" Delphi paused as she turned to look to her sister, her eyes momentarily wavering towards her large stomach before she let out a small huff, "Well, that's new."

"Yeah," it was all Dora could think of in response, a hand instinctively going to her stomach.

"Boy or girl?" Delphi mused.

"I don't know," Dora said, "I won't let Rabastan find out."

"Not amused with your traitor husband?" Delphi raised an eyebrow at the woman.

"He—" Dora shook her head, "I'm sorry, Delphi. I know it doesn't help you but . . . I didn't want this."

"But you put up with it," Delphi sneered, "to keep your perfect little family safe, you threw away your loyalties and threw your sister to the lions like the obedient little traitor wife you are. Mother would hate you for this."

"I know," Dora agreed, fighting back her emotions as best she could though her voice wavered slightly despite herself, "I had to do what I had to do. I would never have given you up, I would never have gone to the ministry like Rab did but . . . they came into our home. They almost hit me and—I just remembered what happened before Bella . . . I was scared. I surrendered. I didn't spout every little fact I had about you though, I simply—"

"You simply laid back and took it," Delphi glared, "you let your husband spout the truth to the enemy and let me lose the final chance to bring my parents back to power. You're just as bad as he is."

"Maybe so . . ." Dora nodded sadly.

"You could have defended me," Delphi spat, "you could have defended your beliefs."

"So I could get sent to Azkaban? So I could leave my children, have a child born behind bars—if it would survive at all. I couldn't. I couldn't not say anything but I didn't give them the key to finding your purpose, I didn't tell them—"

"You didn't tell them anything your husband hadn't already told them," Delphi rolled her eyes.

"I . . ." Dora took a deep breath before she gave a small nod, "I suppose so."

"Do you still love him? Do you still share the same bed with him?" Delphi asked.

"I made him sleep in another room for a little while . . . but for the children's sake, we're not doing that anymore."

"But you still love him?" Delphi asked, walking towards the bars to get a better view of her sister, noting that the woman stood just outside of her reach, "You still love the man that sent your sister to rot and Rodolphus to die?"

Dora tried to think of an answer that would appease her sister, but she knew she couldn't. She stayed silent.

"I knew it," Delphi scoffed.

"Delphi you don't understand," Dora sighed, "he's my husband. I'll always love him. It has been hard, there were so much screaming and arguing, I was ready to kill him . . . but I had to put it aside. For my family's sake."

"And what about the family he sent to Azkaban?" Delphi asked, "What about the man that gave up his freedom to make sure you and your husband escaped the battle of Hogwarts? What about your little sister? The girl you swore to your dead mother that you would defend and protect no matter what? You couldn't even protect me against your own stupid husband."

"I tried . . ."

"You didn't try hard enough," Delphi shook her head, "Why are you here?"

"I—I wanted to see you . . ."

"Wanted to gloat? Wanted to make sure I was stuck behind bars and it was all over?" Delphi hissed, "Wanted to make sure that there really was no chance that I'd escape and ruin your perfect little life?"

"My life is not—"

"You have a life!" Delphi snapped, "You have your freedom! You have your family! I have _nothing_! I was so close to having everything . . . I changed time, Nymphadora. I got it to work, only for a brief time, but I saw _her_."

"Y-You what?" Dora's eyes widened, shocked by the girl's words.

"You heard me," Delphi said, "I changed time. I saw Mum, I saw _you_. But you know what? Your husband hated you in that life. He despised you for loving mother. He _hurt you_. But Mum was there for you, picking up the pieces. And Rodolphus? He died for you. He gave up his life on some stupid mission to protect your unborn child and make sure that _you_ survived. You gave Rabastan three children, but he still hated you. But Mum was alive, my father was alive. You had everything. _We_ had everything . . ." Delphi paused momentarily, trying to discreetly swat away her tears, "The child you lost was never lost, we had full power . . . Rodolphus was still gone because he always defended his family until his last dying breath . . . I saw him die you know, in this reality. Held him as he slipped away rotting away in a cell here . . . I could have changed everything. I could have fixed the world . . . Now we'll never know . . ."

"Delphi . . ." Dora breathed, uncaring as tears left her own eyes.

"Don't," Delphi snapped. "Leave me to rot here. I'm not here to forgive you, I won't make you feel better. You wanted to show your face, now you've done it. I hope you never forget this. I hope you grow old knowing that you helped condemn Rodolphus and I, that Mother would be so ashamed of you I'm sure she would disown you. You'll find no solace here, Nymphadora. So leave."

Dora stared at the woman, opening and closing her mouth as she tried to search for words to say. Though as her little sister simply glared at her, a look so similar to her mother, she couldn't think of anything. She knew what her mother would think of her, she knew what her sister would think of her, she didn't know why she had come. She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry . . ." Dora murmured, "I know you won't accept that but I am . . . and I do still love you, I always have no matter what you think." She paused, though the younger woman made no effort to move, continuing her hard steely gaze, "Bye Delphi . . ."

And with that she walked away from her sister for the last time.

* * *

Nymphadora sat on the couch in the main sitting room, her eyes closed and her head leant back as her currently youngest child laid curled into her side. She stroked the girl's hair absentmindedly, grateful that the girl had decided to calm for a short while beside her. It was Bella's eleventh birthday and though it was only just gone lunch she had already declared it was the "best birthday ever". The morning had started with a large array of presents for the girl, something that she was not used to after being in hiding for so long, the mere sight of her shock at the gifts made Dora think with amusement back to the first birthday she had been reunited with her mother. Once the post had arrived carrying the girls Hogwarts letter she was a ball of excitement, screaming in joy and hugging her parents (temporarily forgetting her prolonged cold attitude towards her parents) before reading the letter so many times Dora was sure the girl had memorised it. But at over nine months pregnant Dora was easily worn out from the festivities of the girl's celebrations, stating shortly after lunch that she had to go sit down for a short while. The youngest Lestrange had declared she would join her and Dora was both surprised and pleased that the girl seemed happy to curl into her and hold little conversation. They were both almost asleep when there came a knock on the door.

Dora sighed, blinking her eyes open as she looked towards the door, "Come in,"

There was a moment's pause before the door creaked open to reveal Andromeda Tonks. Dora smiled tiredly at her once mother, watching her as she walked over to the armchair opposite the woman and sat down, clasping a piece of parchment in her hand.

"How are you feeling?" Andromeda asked quietly.

"Fine," Dora said simply, "rather content."

Andromeda rolled her eyes in amusement, "Contrary to the constant complaints of the last two weeks?"

"Well," Dora shrugged, adjusting herself slightly and kissing her daughters head as she let out a small moan of complaint, "you'd be complaining too if you had something inside of you that refused to get out."

"Perhaps . . ." Andromeda mused.

"What have you got, Dromeda?" Bella perked up slightly, sitting up and looking to the parchment in the woman's hands.

Andromeda looked down to the letter, almost as if she had forgotten it was there for a moment before she looked to the girl with a small smile, "A letter."

"Obviously," Bella rolled her eyes.

"Don't be so cheeky," Dora smirked, nudging the girl, "go on, I think your father had something he wanted to show you."

"Do I have to?" Bella groaned, "I don't want to, he's not my favourite person you know."

"Bella," Dora sighed, "he is trying you know and it's something you'll like, I promise."

"What is it?" Bella raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"Well, you'll have to go and find out," Dora said, "go on, give the poor old man a chance."

" _Fine,_ " Bella let out an exasperated sigh, "but it's my birthday and I shouldn't have to do anything I don't want to."

"No," Dora smirked, "but your curiosity has gotten the better of you."

Bella glared at her mother for a moment before she rolled her eyes and shook her head before hurrying along out of the room to find her father.

"She is so much like you, you know," Andromeda commented.

"Unfortunately," Dora laughed, "I wasn't the easiest child to raise."

"No," Andromeda laughed, "but it was worth it."

"I suppose," Dora said, straightening up in her chair before she nodded to the letter in the woman's hands, "come on then, tell me what you've got there."

"A letter . . ." Andromeda said, turning the parchment over in her hands as she stared intently at the thing, "from Narcissa."

"Really?" Dora couldn't help but let out a small grin, "What's she got to say? How is she?"

"She's fine," Andromeda said, " . . . said she wants me to come over—if I can—have some tea."

"An invitation to tea?" Dora gave a look of mock shock, "Must be serious if Aunt Cissa invites you to tea . . . You know she wants to talk to you again, she said that the last time you saw her."

"I know . . ." Andromeda said, "It's just . . . Still a little strange. With all that's happened, both in our younger years and recently—I mean the girl I helped raise almost killed her Grandson—it's just . . . strange."

"You'll be fine," Dora said, adjusting herself on the couch again, "you've faced worse things than an awkward greeting with your little sister. Besides, I'm sure it will only be awkward for five seconds if that."

"Hmm," Andromeda stared at the letter again for a moment before she looked up at the younger woman, shaking her head before she spoke again, "how long have you been sitting there in pain?"

Dora laughed, rubbing her stomach absentmindedly, "You're too good sometimes, you know me too well."

"Well I did raise you," Andromeda said matter of factly, "though you barely show it when you're in pain the signs are still there. Rabastan noticed too, but I don't think he wants to panic around you. Merely walked into my room all flustered asking me to go talk to you."

"Well, once you've grown used to the pain of a Cruciatus curse early labour isn't much really," Dora scoffed, "Though I'm surprised Rabastan had the restraint not to ask."

"I think he's scared you won't want him there," Andromeda said.

"Then who on earth would I scream at and damn to hell for putting me into this situation in the first place?" Dora smirked, hesitating for a moment before she got to her feet, unable to hold back a wince of pain. Andromeda went to walk over to help her though Dora held up her hand, gesturing for her to stop, "I'm fine . . . I just . . . Don't tell Bella, I'm determined to keep this baby in until midnight at the least."

"The baby will come when the baby wants to come," Andromeda rolled her eyes, "they don't know it's their sister's birthday."

"True . . ." Dora sighed, "Rabastan will be in the study, wait until he's done with Bella and then tell him I'm in our room."

"I'm helping you first," Andromeda said, walking over to the girl and taking her arm.

"I'm perfectly—"

"Don't argue with me," Andromeda scoffed, "you know better."

Dora couldn't help but let out a small laugh, nodding in defeat and letting the woman assist her to her room.

* * *

The sun was coming up over the grounds of Black Manor as Nymphadora Lestrange let out an almighty scream, clutching on to her husband's hand as sweat covered her brow and tears fell down her face.

"I can't," Dora cried, gritting her teeth through the pain.

"Dora," Rabastan said, his forehead pressed against the witches as he looked her dead in the eye, "you say this every time and every time you prove yourself wrong. I know you can do it, Dora, come on, you're so almost there."

"I can see the head Dora," Andromeda said from the foot of the bed, "they're so almost here."

Dora looked into her husband's, taking a deep breath she pressed her lips together to muffle her screams as she pushed with all of her might.

"Good girl," Rab said, kissing her head, "come on, one last time."

"Promise?" Dora cried.

"I bloody well hope so," Rab breathed.

Dora let out a choked sob before she nodded, gripping onto both of his hands with her own and giving all of her energy into bringing their child to life. Her scream echoed the room, though soon it ended and was replaced by the cries of a newborn child. Dora panted for breath, relaxing slightly on the bed as her husband kissed her head again before looking to the child with a grin on his features.

"Well done, Dora," Rab said, "Merlin, I love you."

Dora smiled tiredly, "What is it?"

"A boy," Andromeda said as she cleaned up the child, wrapping him in a blanket before bringing him over to Nymphadora and gently placing him on her chest.

"He's beautiful," Rabastan breathed.

"No need to be angry," Dora laughed slightly at the little boy's bright red hair, kissing his head and shushing him gently until he calmed down, smiling as he looked up at her and his hair gradually changed to a dark brown tuft, "there, Mummy's got you."

"Does he have a name?" Andromeda asked, walking around to the woman again once she had finished vanishing the mess of childbirth.

"Leo," Rabastan said, sitting down on the bed next to his wife and newborn son, "Leo Rodolphus Lestrange . . . A perfect name."

Dora looked to her husband, smiling up at him for a moment before pressing a light kiss to his lips, "It is."

"Well, he certainly did as he was told and waited for Bella's birthday to be over," Andromeda said, "I'm sure she'll want to meet him, though you should both get some rest first."

"I know," Dora rolled her eyes in amusement, "they're not coming in until you say so, I know the drill."

"Too right," Andromeda smirked, leaning down and kissing the woman's head, "I'll leave you two to it."

"Thank you," Dora sighed, watching the woman as she left the room before turning back to her son, "do you want to hold him, Rab?"

"If I can . . ." Rabastan nodded, smiling as his wife gently let the man take his son into his arms.

Dora watched the pair for a moment, sighing as her husband put one arm around her to let her lean into his side, "He's perfect . . ."

"Just like his mother," Rab said, ". . . though not like his father,"

"No-one's perfect . . ." Dora mused, reaching out and letting little Leo take her finger, "we all make mistakes. But they're in the past, we can move on, Rab . . . He's our new beginning."

Rabastan gave a small nod, unable to take his eyes off of his new son even as his wife slowly drifted to sleep beside him a little while later. "I won't let you down . . ." Rabastan murmured, unsure if he was speaking to his son or his wife. Though he knew Dora was right, the boy would no doubt be a constant reminder of the brother he had lost, the brother he had near enough condemned to death. But he was determined to not let that cause him pain, but to instead ensure that he would be a better man for his family. He was determined never to let his family down again.


	37. Epilogue

**Well, we've had quite the adventure with Purest, and now Hunted. When I first learned about Delphi, I felt like I could never characterise her properly, but Bella's helped me with that during this writing journey. I think I've learned a lot from writing this story, but I'm glad that this is our final stamp on it.**

 **Thank you for all your reviews and support. We'll definitely be focusing on Shadow next, and we have more ideas to come. Thank you again!**

 **Dora**

* * *

Dora would never forget the day that her daughter Bellatrix left on the train for Hogwarts. The girl was beyond excited, though she'd been made aware that there would be trouble ahead for her. Dora was inclined to believe that Bella being able to go to Hogwarts solidified her husband's belief that he had done the right thing, but no one said anything of it.

Rabastan's betrayal was only even mentioned in snide remarks from Rigel, who had never forgiven his father for what he had done. The young man was standing on the other side of his mother, smiling at his sister as she said her goodbyes to them. "Don't waver in your beliefs," Rigel admonished her. "You've got a good head on your shoulders: remember to think before you act."

"As if you always did," Bella rolled her eyes at him, but grinned. "I'll be fine." She turned to her mother, who was cradling their baby brother. "Bye, Leo," she said to him, leaning in to kiss his cheek, then her mother's cheek. "Bye, Mum. I'll let you know how things go."

"Be strong," Dora said softly, putting one hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You're going to lead the way for Leo, you know. You're helping to build our reputation with whatever you do at school. Choose wisely."

Bellatrix nodded once, glancing her mother and father. She hugged Andromeda properly, then stepped back as the first train whistle blew. Rabastan and Rigel stepped forward to take Bella's trunk to the train, Rigel giving his father a blank before nodding to the man and standing aside. Bellatrix shot a grateful look at her brother, then hurried after her dad to the Hogwarts Express.

"Think she'll be all right?" Rigel asked his mother.

"She'll find her way," Nymphadora answered, looking down at baby Leo. "She is your sister, after all."

Rigel smirked and slipped his arm around his mother, looking down at his little brother. "We're all going to grow up very differently," he mused. "I was raised completely sheltered, Bella was raised sheltered but is going to Hogwarts, and Leo won't know anything about the things our family has gone through these last few decades."

Dora drew a deep breath as she saw Rabastan coming back toward them as the second whistle blew. "I would much rather have raised you all free," she said, "but it couldn't be helped."

The young man nodded. "Love you, Mum," he said quietly before moving away from her and his father to wave at Bella, who was looking out of a window at them. "Have fun, Bella!" he called to her with a grin.

Dora and Rab waved as well, though as the train rounded the bend out of sight, Rabastan took her arm and disapparated back to their home without a word to Rigel or Andromeda.

* * *

A sixteen-year-old Bellatrix Narcissa Lestrange was striding down the hall of Lestrange Manor, her five-year old brother racing to meet her. "You're home!" he declared happily, hugging her tightly. "It's about time!"

"Did you miss me?" Bella laughed. "You have Mum and Dad and Nan, you know."

"Yes, but they're old," Leo huffed, glancing around to see if they'd heard him. "Rigel's not that old, but he's _busy_ because he's getting _married_."

"He is," Bella agreed. "But Lyra's fun, remember?"

Leo nodded. "She's nice," he said. "Come on, let's go see Mother. She's waiting on you."

Bella took her little brother's offered hand and the two hurried down the hall to the sitting room. "She's here, Mother!" he called, entering the room and running up to her, jumping onto the couch between her and his grandmother.

"Careful," Andromeda admonished the young boy.

He grinned at her winsomely as his mother got to her feet, walking across the room and embracing her daughter. "Welcome home," Nymphadora said softly. "How was your journey?"

"Uneventful," Bellatrix smirked. "No dares bother me on the Hogwarts Express, Mother."

"Why not?" Leo asked curiously.

"Because last year, someone thought it would be funny for me to go home jinxed," Bella answered. "They all went home cursed, and I untouched."

Leo laughed, bouncing up off the couch to run over to them again. "If Dad were here, he'd tell you to behave," he said. "But Rigel says we have to defend ourselves." The boy's face clouded. "Belle, why do Dad and Rigel fight all the time?"

Nymphadora looked down at her son. "They simply disagree on certain things," she answered for her daughter, still unsure what the witch would have said. "Rigel and your father don't see eye to eye on a lot of things." She turned to her daughter, reaching out and touching the Slytherin house crest on her robes. "Go change your clothes, dear. We'll be having dinner soon."

The girl nodded, and Leo raced down the hall ahead of her, full of energy. Nymphadora shook her head at them, turning back to her seat beside Andromeda. "She's grown into a beautiful young woman," Andromeda said to Dora.

"She has," Dora sighed, leaning against the back of the couch. "She's done very well in making a place for herself. But she's kind and loyal, which is so much more than I could have asked for in a namesake of my mother."

Andromeda smirked. "Well, neither you, nor any of your children escaped her awful temper," she said. "But you're all lovable as you are, and we know that Rodolphus always loved your mother."

Nymphadora looked away from her aunt. "I can't believe he's been gone for five years already. It doesn't seem real."

"Do you ever wonder how Delphi's doing?" Andromeda asked, immediately adding, "of course you do" when she saw Dora's expression.

"She's rotting in Azkaban, and she told me that she hoped I'd always remember that she blames me just as much as she blames Rabastan," Dora murmured. "I don't want to talk about her. She just wanted her parents back: she didn't deserve all that."

Wisely, Andromeda nodded and didn't say anything else.

* * *

Nymphadora quietly knocked on the door of the room where her future daughter-in-law was getting ready for the wedding. The door opened and Luna Lovegood Scamander looked out before smiling and admitting her to the room. Dora looked at the bride, who was blushing furiously.

"Mrs Lestrange," Lyra breathed, turning slightly toward the witch as two other young witches straightened her skirt and stepped back. She wasn't really sure what to say, as she didn't know what Rigel's mother would be thinking.

"You can call me Dora if you would like," she said simply. "Calling me Mrs Lestrange makes me feel far older than I would like." She stepped forward and asked, "How do you feel?"

"I'm so nervous," Lyra said in a near whisper. "I..." she blushed deeply again "I'm used to my quiet little family, and I only know Rigel. I don't really know the rest of you, even though he tells me you're the best mother he could have ever had."

Nymphadora smiled at this praise, though she replied, "Rigel is probably my most well-behaved child, though the others aren't too bad, either. I've told him that if he's not a decent husband to you, he will have to answer to me for it."

Lyra couldn't help but laugh at this. "You may have to fight my brothers for that," she said. "They've told me the same thing."

"Then you'll be just fine," Dora said warmly. "Rigel adores you, you know. You two have known each other for a few years already, and now you'll finally belong to each other. Being husband and wife is all about learning to live together, and it does take a while to figure out. You two have a jump start on it all."

The witch agreed. "I've known him for seven years," she said. "I met him just after I turned eighteen."

"What I want to know is how you knew who he was," Nymphadora said in amusement. "What gave him away?"

"The way he talked so stiffly at first, he sounded like he was from an old pureblood family," Lyra remembered. "Then, with the things he said, I realised that he was from a family on the other side of the war. He was so private, and never wanted to talk about his family except for his little sister. He never invited me to his home, at least before the whole Ministry incident, and he never offered to introduce me to you and his father."

Lyra shook her head, a small smile on her face. "Even though he morphed the first several times I met him, I knew that he was something special, and I began to suspect who he was when he once defended your own mother and you to my entire family."

Dora's mouth fell open. "Did he really?" she gasped.

"He did," Lyra laughed. "I don't think the men knew, but mother and I knew almost immediately." She and Luna shared a knowing look, Lyra grinning in amusement. "He did seem a bit too outraged that one of my brothers had called you an evil witch."

"Oh dear," Nymphadora sighed, and Lyra reached out her hand to the woman.

"We know you better now," she said, taking Dora's hand in hers. "Your whole family is actually lovely, in spite of all the whispers and pettiness."

The door opened and Andromeda looked into the room. "We're nearly ready," she said urgently.

"Where's Belle?" Dora said worriedly. "Shouldn't she be in here?"

"She stepped out just before you came in," Lyra answered calmly. "Her brother wanted to talk to her."

"Oh," Dora said, then smiled. "I'll go and send her along. Good luck, Lyra."

"Thank you," Lyra said quietly.

Nymphadora left the room, making her way to where Rigel stood alone with Lyra's two brothers, none of them speaking to each other. "Mother," Rigel said, sounding grateful to see her. "Dad's just stormed off and Belle's gone to try to talk some sense into him."

Dora frowned. "I won't even ask what you said to him," she said. "Where have they gone?"

Rigel sighed. "I think he was heading toward the garden, but I don't know," he answered.

She hurried away from them without saying a word, saddened to think that her husband and son were fighting again on the boy's wedding day. Dora was able to locate her husband and daughter a few steps into the garden, Bella entreating her father worriedly.

"Rabastan?" Dora asked softly. "Belle?"

"Dora—thank Merlin," Rabastan sighed. "Run along, Bella."

"I want to be called Belle, or Bellatrix, you know that," Bella reminded her father before she turned and went to join Lyra and the bridesmaids.

"Come on, Rab, they're about to start," Dora said softly. Rabastan shook his head slightly and Dora asked, "What's wrong, Rab?"

He took a deep breath, then said, "I tried to advise him and he wouldn't listen to me. But it's fine. It'll be on his own head if he fails. I've done my best."

Dora nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "You have," she agreed. "Now let's go get these two married. Merlin knows they've been waiting for years."

Rabastan chuckled slightly, and offered his arm to his wife, which she took gratefully, allowing him to lead her back into the house.

Nymphadora always remembered Rigel and Lyra's wedding as the sweetest wedding she'd ever attended. Between the amusing things Leo said and the lovely way Rigel and Lyra looked at each other, Dora wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. But she sat there with Rabastan's arm around her, proud of and happy for her son. She could only hope that Rigel had learned from their wisdom, their past, and their mistakes, and that he could lead his and Lyra's family—the House of Lestrange—proudly into the future and continue their legacy for generations to come.


End file.
